Here We Go Again
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: Sequel to Double Trouble. Ash and Misty are thrilled to be expecting another child. But when they learn there's something special about the baby, a force much greater than Team Rocket goes after them, leading the couple to fight harder than ever.
1. Third One's the Charm

**I'm baaack! Of course I am. I didn't go anywhere.**

**So, I figured I would put this chapter up before I went to driving lessons. See, I really don't want to drive, and I'm pretty sure I had nightmares about the class last night XD I'm really scared. Anyway, I know people were excited for the sequel (or so they said...ha :P) so I thought I'd put it up now and maybe come home to some excited reviews ^^ I love it when my readers are all happy/super excited! It makes me happy too haha.**

**This chapter is a little shorter than most of the chapters that will be in this story (although it's still like 2,400 words so it's definitely not lacking) but...just thought I'd let everyone know.**

**So, I'm going to shut up now, and you can all begin the SEQUEL to Double Trouble!**

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><p>"So, we're really going to do this again?"<p>

Misty tilted her head at her husband's seemingly foolish question. Ash, in turn, raised an eyebrow, not really understanding Misty's silent criticism.

"Well, we don't exactly have much of a choice. I'm already pregnant."

Ash groaned slightly and put his head down, pulling at his thick raven hair.

"Why?" Misty folded her arms, "are you really miserable over this?"

"No," Ash shook his head, looking up again, "I don't want you to think that. I'm happy! I love Aiden and Michelle, and I know I'll love this baby too. But…" He trailed off, his eyes beginning to wander.

"But what, Ash?"

It had been several hours since Misty had told Ash about their new baby-to-be. It was now early the next morning, and Misty couldn't quite understand why Ash was freaking out. When she thought back to the night before, everything seemed to be so…different.

"_Ash…I'm pregnant."_

_Misty watched his face. She was searching for some kind of emotion. Shock, anger, anything. But it appeared blank to her. He wasn't even blinking his big, adorable eyes._

"_Ash?" Misty squeaked quietly._

_Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the biggest grin Ash could possibly make showed up on his face. He squeezed Misty's hand even harder, staring right into her emerald eyes._

"_Misty," Ash breathed, "you're really pregnant again?"_

"_I'm pretty sure," Misty nodded. "I mean, I haven't gone to the doctor's yet or anything but…I took tests."_

"_Tests?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "As in…plural?"_

"_I bought five," Misty blushed. "I…just wanted to make sure."_

_At this, Ash chuckled. "Oh Misty. That is definitely something you would do." Composing himself, he looked back at Misty and cooed softly. "I can't believe I'm going to be a Daddy again."_

"_Well," Misty brushed the top of his hand, "you are." Thinking a little, Misty quickly added, "So…you're not mad? Even though we said no more kids?"_

"_Of course I'm not mad," Ash shook his head. "Besides, just like Aiden and Michelle, this little one wasn't planned. So _technically _we're not breaking our word. You can't do anything about accidents."_

"_Surprises," Misty quickly corrected. Although neither of her pregnancies had been planned, she absolutely hated the idea of calling her children accidents or mistakes. Because they weren't. They were just…surprises._

"_But, just out of curiosity," Ash was now blushing slightly, "haven't you been on birth control since after the twins were born?"_

"_Yes," Misty responded. She knew where this inquiry was headed._

"_So…if you were on that…how did you end up pregnant?"_

_Turning red, Misty answered, "I…kind of forgot to take my last cycle. Because we were away on vacation and…I just forgot."_

"_Well, that's alright," Ash assured, his eyes twinkling. "Because we got another little baby out of it."_

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Ash continued, "Do you really think we can handle three kids? I mean, we make a good amount of time for Aiden and Michelle, but we're both pretty busy. I don't want to neglect our baby."

"Is that why you sound so hesitant all of a sudden?" Misty asked sympathetically.

Ash nodded in response. "I'm not upset about the baby, Mist. My tune hasn't changed since last night. I'm still excited. I just…I want it to be loved. I'm _so_ afraid of not spending enough time with the new baby."

"We won't neglect it," Misty hushed, a smile growing on her sweet face, "we are going to pay just as much attention to this little one as we do to Aiden and Michelle."

"But how?" Ash furrowed his brow lightly.

"Well, you're busier than I am. You have to travel a bit, I suppose. I just stay here and run the gym. I usually never have more than one or two battles a day."

"That's true."

"Besides, if I really have to, I can keep the baby nearby while I battle."

"Is that really good for such a little thing?" Ash asked incredulously.

"I'm not going to be battling with it in my arms! It's not much different than running the gym now while I'm pregnant."

"I guess…wait, what?"

Misty raised an eyebrow, confused by Ash's sudden outburst.

"What's wrong now?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Did you just say you plan on battling while you're pregnant?" Ash asked, his mouth remaining agape when he was finished talking.

"Yeah…" Misty nodded slowly.

"No way!" Ash jumped up, his eyes searching Misty for some kind of lie.

"Ash, you can't tell me what to do," Misty responded tiredly. She was completely worn out, and in no mood to argue.

"Yes I can!" Ash wailed; panic overtaking his entire face, "I'm your husband! And I will not allow you to hurt yourself!"

"I'm not gonna hurt myself," Misty rubbed her temples.

"No, not _intentionally_," Ash began to pace back and forth, "but there's so many bad things that could happen on accident! You could get hit by an attack! Or your Pokémon could get hit by a powerful attack and go flying backwards! Not to mention, you're the leader of a _water type _gym! You could slip on a wet spot, or fall in the pool and drown!" He began to breathe in and out quite deeply, turning to Misty to see if she understood what he was saying.

"Are you finished?" Misty deadpanned. Clearly she had not.

"Misty please," Ash begged, gently grabbing her shoulders, "you can't do this. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"No," Misty blinked innocently, "what happened?"

Sighing deeply, Ash continued sadly, "When you went to the gym the last time you were pregnant. Gyrados knocked you over. How can you not remember that?"

"I do," Misty answered quietly. The memory was not a pleasant one for her.

"Then how come when I asked you the first time, you said you didn't remember?" Ash began to sound panicked again.

"Because that was an _accident,_" Misty stressed, "but you're treating it like it was on purpose. Gyrados would never hurt me like that if he knew what he was doing. He was confused from battle."

"I understand that. But what if that happens again? What if Gyardos becomes confused and knocks you down again? We might not be as lucky as we were last time."

"Ash, I know I'm going to be okay," Misty pressed her palms against his cheeks, "I wouldn't be doing this if I knew I was in serious danger."

"But you _are,_" Ash frowned.

"I know you think so, but I'm going to be just fine. You have to believe me."

Ash groaned and looked away from Misty in silent thought. He didn't know what to do. He was absolutely terrified for Misty's health and the baby's safety, but she was so good at convincing him she'd be fine.

"Please Ash," she begged softly.

"Alright," Ash finally gave in, although he refused to show his jubilant wife a smile, "you can keep on battling. But you'd better be _extremely _careful."

"Thank you Ashy!" Misty cheered, hugging Ash so tightly he could hardly breathe.

"You're…welcome…" Ash choked out, giving Misty a gentle squeeze in return. Even if he _could_ hug as strongly as her, he wouldn't do it for fear of crushing the baby.

"Now, here's our next problem," Misty's tone became serious as she separated from Ash.

"Ugh, why are there so many problems?" Ash's shoulders sagged, his head bowing in misery.

"It's not _too _bad," Misty bit her lip, "at least I hope it won't be."

"What are you talking about Mist?" Ash folded his arms.

"We need to tell Aiden and Michelle about the baby," Misty continued.

"So why are you worried about that?" Ash furrowed his brow, "that doesn't seem like it'll be so hard."

"Ash, you don't understand because you're an only child," Misty chuckled lightly, shaking her head. Ash continued to stare at her, not understanding what Misty meant by that. Sighing, she explained, "Sometimes kids don't take the news of a new sibling very well. My sisters absolutely _hated _the idea of having me around."

"But Aiden and Michelle aren't like that," Ash smiled comfortingly, "they're going to be so excited!"

"Just because they're typically good kids doesn't mean they won't get jealous," Misty shook her head yet again.

"But they already have each other. What's one more sibling going to hurt?"

"Exactly, they already have _each other_," Misty repeated, "and you know how often they fight with one another. The thought of having another kid around might drive them a little crazy."

"I bet you're wrong," Ash continued to smile boldly; "they'll love it."

"We'll see who's right after this," Misty sighed, tugging at Ash's shirt, "come along, Mr. Pokémon master."

"Wait!" Ash giggled, wrapping a strong hand around Misty's delicate wrist.

"What is it now?" Misty arched one of her slender eyebrows.

"Let's make a bet," Ash answered deviously.

"You mean on whether or not the kids will take this well?"

"Exactly."

"Why do you _always _have to do this?" Misty sighed, shaking her head. In return, Ash simply shrugged and chuckled quietly.

"It's more fun this way. Plus, I know I'll be right."

"Fine," Misty snarled ever so slightly, balling her fists at her sides as she took a somewhat threatening step forward. Ash recoiled slightly, but didn't make too big of a fuss. At this point, he pretty much knew he was getting on Misty's highly worn nerves. "What exactly are we betting?"

"If I win," Ash mused thoughtfully before getting a brilliant idea, "you're going to have to give me a _very_ romantic night, _if _you know what I mean."

"Of course I know what you mean," Misty narrowed her eyes, "I'm not as dense as you."

"Ouch," Ash winced slightly, "harsh."

"Well, if I win, you have to go shopping with me on your day off next week," Misty countered with a smirk.

"Oh Misty, _anything _but that!" Ash whined, his eyes growing comically wide.

"Nope, sorry. That's what I want if I win."

"Well, you're not going to," Ash smiled proudly, "because Aiden and Michelle are going to be overjoyed by this news. I just know it!"

"Yeah, and I have a feeling they'll be absolutely miserable," Misty rolled her eyes, "so let's just find out, shall we? Because if I'm right, which I suspect I will be, we're going to have a lot of work on our hands in order to get them used to the idea."

"Let's just find out," Ash smirked, walking down the stairs. Misty bit her lip and followed silently after the confident raven haired master. The two walked right into the family room, where they found their five year old twins playing with Pikachu.

"See? They're in a good mood," Ash whispered to Misty, "this is gonna work out just fine!"

"We'll see," was Misty's only response.

"Aiden! Michelle!" Ash called sweetly. The young children looked up curiously, as did Pikachu.

"Daddy!" Michelle giggled as she jumped to her feet. She hurried over to her father and hugged his legs tightly, causing Ash to laugh lovingly.

"Pikachu, have you been having fun with Aiden and Michelle?" Misty asked the electric type kindly. He nodded excitedly, jumping atop Aiden's head.

"Did you come to play Daddy?" Michelle gazed up at Ash, her deep green eyes shimmering with glee.

"Well, no, that's not _why _I came down here," Ash smiled.

"Oh. Well, can we play anyway?"

"Maybe after," Ash suggested as he patted the girl's head.

"After what?" Aiden piped up.

"Well, there's something that Daddy and I would like to tell the both of you," Misty smiled weakly, switching her attention between her two young children.

"Are we goin' on vacation?" Michelle asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I wanna go back to Unova!" Aiden cheered, "I like all the Pokémon there, and Iris and Cilan too!"

"No, it's not a vacation," Ash smirked.

"Well, what is it?" Aiden tilted his head. Michelle let go of Ash's legs and climbed up onto the couch, looking ahead sweetly at her parents.

"That's a good idea Shelly," Ash used Michelle's nickname, "why don't you go sit down next to your sister, Aiden?"

"Okay," Aiden looked up at Pikachu, who was still sitting happily atop the boy's head, "let's go Pikachu."

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked. Aiden pulled himself up next to Michelle, looking back at Ash and Misty with a curious expression on his face.

"Aiden, Michelle," Misty began slowly, "there's going to be a new addition to our family."

"Did Daddy catch a new Pokémon?" Michelle asked excitedly, "Is it something really cute? Like a Skitty?"

"No, I bet its something cool," Aiden scoffed, "like Sharpedo!"

"Guys, it isn't a new Pokémon," Ash chuckled heartily. Both the children frowned slightly and looked puzzled. They really had no idea what this 'new addition' could be.

"Sweethearts," Misty smiled, kneeling down in front of the twins, "what we're trying to say is…is well…I'm going to have a baby." Aiden and Michelle's expressions didn't change.

"Aren't you two _excited?" _Ash grinned, "You're going to have a little brother or sister!" Suddenly, a huge smile appeared on Michelle's face, and the little red head began to clap her hands.

"I get to be a big sister!" Michelle cheered, jumping into her mother's arms. Misty giggled and returned her daughter's hug, gently rocking her back and forth.

"What about you Aiden?" Ash now turned to his son, "are you happy or what?"

"No," Aiden replied, his brow furrowing in disbelief. At that instant, a sense of shock washed over Ash and Misty.

"Why not champ?" Ash asked.

"Because I'm not," Aiden stormed, sliding off the couch, "I don't wanna' be a big brother."

"But you'll be so good at it honey!" Misty tried sweetly, "the baby is going to love you!"

"But I don't _want_ it!" Aiden cried.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, stunned by her son's statement.

"Pika?" Pikachu frowned sympathetically as he looked after Aiden. In turn, the young boy simply huffed and marched out of the room, hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Well," Ash broke the uncomfortable silence that had sat in the room for a while after Aiden's exit, "looks like I was _half _right."

Scowling, Misty punched her husband in the arm, causing him to let out a soft "ow." Now she was going to have to work to fix this.

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><p><strong>A jealous Aiden is a funny Aiden. That's all I'm gonna say.<strong>

**So, what did you think? Good start for the new story? I hope so, I'm pretty proud of it. It's going to get more action-y later on, I promise. It just has to get started first! I hope everyone is excited for this story. If it gets HALF the attention that Double Trouble got, I'll be floored. You're all awesome!**

**So, until next time, see you! I have to go hope my legs, which are extremely sore from 2 hours of dance class, don't give out in the car XD**


	2. Big Brother Blues

**New chapter, new chapter yaaaay. Because I'm in a good mood. AND because it was done. But whatever. I'll allow you all to choose your own path. Or something.**

**Yeah, anyway, I thought I'd upload this now. I have my first hockey event of the season tonight, so therefore my mood is PRISTINE! It's just a rookie game, but it's live action hockey and I will take it. The withdrawl is close to killing me.**

**So, enough of me and my happiness. No one cares but me :P Onto the story!**

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><p>One month later, Aiden still hadn't warmed up to the idea of Misty having another baby. Although he was barely speaking to his parents, it was quite obvious that the boy wasn't happy.<p>

Instead, he had simply begun to act out.

He wasn't afraid to hit or even bite Ash, although for some reason Aiden was much more wary around his mother. Sure, he would ignore her or even give her a gentle smack, but nothing as serious as what he did to Ash.

The first occurrence of this was a shocking one for both Ash and Misty. It all began late one night, when Aiden had wandered out of his bedroom and into the room of his parents, where Ash and Misty were beginning to fall asleep snuggled together.

Wordlessly, Aiden pulled himself onto the bed and sat at the edge. He wasn't tired; he wanted to have fun.

The boy waited a few moments, but he soon realized his parents were not about to wake up. With a little huff, Aiden began to bounce on the bed, thoroughly shaking it.

Ash snapped up, his eyes wide and his mouth open as he prepared to call on Pikachu. Ash was very protective of his red headed gym leader and was always ready to defend her, especially in her current condition. When he saw it was just Aiden, however, he drew back his shoulders and breathed out a gentle sigh of relief.

"Aiden, what're you doing?" Ash asked groggily.

"I'm not sleepy," Aiden shook his head.

"Aiden it's late," Ash yawned, "go back to bed."

"I'm not sleepy," Aiden repeated, his tone a little more agitated than before.

"Aiden," Ash threw himself back down and closed his eyes, "please go to sleep. We can play in the morning, okay? It's too late for all of this."

That answer was not enough to satisfy the boy. He crawled forward and jumped on top of Ash, earning a pained moan from the older man.

"I'm not sleepy," Aiden tried again, his head hanging right over Ash's.

"Okay, I've had enough," Ash sat up and caught the child in a tight grasp. Aiden whined unappreciatively and began to kick his legs wildly, thrashing his head and arms around as he tried to break free from Ash's hold.

"What is going on?" Misty asked tiredly as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Our son is being a pain in the neck," Ash furrowed his brow, "that's what's going on."

"Put me down!" Aiden screamed, nearly hitting Ash in the face.

"Hey!" Ash scolded, his anger quickly rising. He had learned to become more patient when it came to the twins, but Aiden was really pushing his luck at this point. "Knock it off!"

"No!" Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"Aiden, stop it," Misty was unsure of how to deal with her son's unusually erratic behavior. Telling him to stop was the only thing coming to mind at this point.

"No," Aiden repeated.

"Aiden, if you're not going to go back into your room, then I'm just going to bring you back myself," Ash warned, "so what do you want to do?" What happened next was probably the most shocking thing Ash and Misty had ever experienced.

Aiden tilted his head down near Ash's wrist, and he sunk his little teeth right into his father's skin.

"OW!" Ash cried, instantly letting go of Aiden to grab at his now throbbing wrist. A little smirk was plastered on Aiden's face now, and he looked quite pleased with what he'd just done.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You do _not _bite your father!" Aiden chuckled, and that only made Ash even more irate.

"AIDEN!" Ash yelled, once again grabbing the boy. Aiden squeaked in displeasure and slapped Ash right in the face. The Pokémon master flinched yet again, Aiden falling directly into his lap. This time, Aiden jumped off the bed and scurried out of the room, leaving Ash to rub at his sore cheek. "Ouch…"

"Are you okay?" Misty frowned, moving Ash's head so she could examine his cheek. It was glowing a light shade of red, but otherwise he seemed fine.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"And your wrist?"

Ash held his hand up in a lane of moonlight to observe the spot where Aiden had bit him. Two tiny punctures were now present, although no blood was visible to the man.

"He left some marks, but he didn't draw any blood," Ash lowered his arm and flicked his eyes around the room. He wasn't sure what he was trying to look for. Maybe just an answer for what had occurred between him and his young son. "Why did he do that, Misty? He always loved me."

"And he still does," Misty frowned, "but I told you, he's upset right now."

"It's not my fault though!" Ash wailed, "_I'm_ not the baby! I'm not even the one having it! He should be angry with you!"

"Gee, thanks," Misty droned sarcastically.

"Sorry," Ash buried his face into his hands, "I just don't understand why it's me."

"Ash, do you really think you're the only father who's had to go through this?" Misty asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ash grumbled.

"Then I'm going to prove you wrong," Misty shook her head.

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

A sneaky little smile grew on Misty's face, but Ash didn't notice with his face still covered. "You'll see."

**XXX**

"Do you really think this is going to work?" May asked her red headed friend incredulously.

"I don't see why not," Misty shrugged.

"Well, our husbands have never been what I would consider best friends," May tried.

"Maybe not," Misty nodded, "but it's not like they don't get along. They're friendly enough. Besides, I'm sure Drew will just _love _the idea of somebody crawling to him for help."

"Good point," May agreed.

"Ash!" Misty called, her sudden shout slightly alarming May, "Would you come in here please?"

Ash came running down the stairs, his eyes darting with fear. "Is everything alright? Are you in pain or something?"

"No, I'm fine," Misty replied incredulously, "I just thought you'd like to know that we've got some visitors."

"Visitors?" Ash blinked.

"Hello, Earth to Ash?" May inquired with folded arms and a playful smile.

"Oh, hey May!" Ash chuckled, moving forward to hug the young brunette. "So, what brings you here?"

"Ah…nothing in particular?" May answered awkwardly. Ash raised a wry eyebrow, while Misty silently smacked her forward. She had always known May was a terrible liar, but _man _did this just prove it.

"Am I supposed to believe that?" Ash chuckled, his russet eyes lighting up as he laughed. In return, May simply shrugged, deciding it was best not to speak anymore.

"You didn't catch me Daddy! I win!"

The three adults looked towards the door, which was pushed wide open as a little boy ran into the house. His dark green hair was hanging messily over bright blue eyes, and as he laughed hysterically, a young grassy haired man marched in, visibly huffing.

"Yeah…you beat me Damien…" Drew puffed, his cheeks glowing a bright red, "great."

The four year old looked quite pleased with himself. On Drew's back rode his and May's one year old daughter, Rosie. The little girl looked quite terrified from the long run her father had just taken outside. Her disheveled, dark brown hair and wide green eyes helped add to that image.

"Drew, you freaked out poor little Rosie!" May scolded as she jumped up to retrieve the child. Gathering the girl in her arms, May cooed softly while rocking her daughter back and forth. "Poor baby. It's alright."

"Mama," Rosie frowned, reaching up for May.

"Sorry May," Drew sulked, "I didn't mean to. I told Damien not to run off like that, but he did it anyway."

"Of course he did, the boy doesn't listen," May sighed, earning a little glare from Damien.

"Hey! I'm good!" Damien cried.

"Whatever you say little boy," May smirked. "Say, why don't we go see Aiden and Michelle? Would you like that, Damien?"

"Yes!" Damien cheered, running up the stairs.

"I'll come with you guys," Misty smiled at May, the two's plan formulating right before their eyes.

"Uh, Misty…" Ash whispered, his face flushing ever so slightly. He knew being left alone with Drew could only lead to some horrible, awkward conversation.

"Oh, it'll be alright Ash," Misty smiled at her husband as she patted his shoulder, "I'll be back in a little bit. This shouldn't take _too _long."

"Err, alright," Ash sighed, nervously eyeing Drew out of the corner of his eye.

Misty and May headed upstairs along with May's two children. Drew set his eyes on Ash and smiled at the Pokémon master. Ash eventually noticed Drew looking at him, and he returned a weak smile.

"Hey there Drew," Ash greeted somewhat lamely.

"Hiya," Drew addressed, flicking a strand of green hair out of his eyes. Ash suppressed a chuckle. He couldn't believe that Drew was _still _pulling that old action at the age of 25. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Uh, course not," Ash replied, motioning towards the couch. Drew gave him a small nod and sat down, Ash eventually following suit.

"So," Drew began after a few awkward moments of silence, "I heard that Aiden isn't too happy about your baby-to-be."

"From who?" Ash cocked an eyebrow. "May?"

"Of course," Drew smirked. "Who else?"

"Yeah, he is," Ash sighed, ignoring Drew's hypothetical question. "It's just awful. He's been acting out ever since we told him and Michelle the news. It's mostly with me too. I mean, he'll ignore Misty, and once or twice he's given her a little hit. But he's been biting and scratching me recently. Around me, he just seems to get _so _angry."

"I see your point," Drew nodded. "I had the same exact problem with Damien, you know."

"Really?" Ash gaped.

"Oh yeah. When he found out we were going to have Rosie, he went _ballistic. _And he did the exact same thing Aiden's doing. You see, Damien would only disobey May. For me, he would do that tenfold. There was kicking, screaming, biting, scratching…you name it, and he did it to me. For some reason or another, it seems that kids like to take their baby jealousy out over the dad rather than the mom."

"I wonder why that is?" Ash mumbled to himself.

"I dunno," Drew shrugged.

"So how did you get him to stop?" Ash finally asked after another lengthy silence. "I mean, he must not hate you anymore. You guys were just playing."

"He never hated me," Drew chuckled at the thought. "And, believe it or not, Aiden doesn't hate you. He's just upset, and he's showing it. He still loves you though."

"But still…" Ash tugged at his messy raven locks, "how did you get Damien to just…I don't know…be _nice _to you?"

"You've got to explain to him why the baby isn't a bad thing. You could have Misty help you. I knew that without May…well…I'd have been screwed. She kind of kept him calm. By the end of our little talk, he still wasn't overly excited, but he had a better understanding of what was going to happen. And, overtime, he started to appreciate the fact he was going to have a little sister around."

"Really?" Ash asked quietly.

"Oh yeah," Drew flicked at his hair yet again. "You'd be surprised by how well it actually works."

**XXX**

Later that night, as Ash was helping Misty wash off the dishes from dinner, he informed her of what Drew had told him to do with Aiden.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Misty nodded slowly. "Do you want to do it once we finish washing?"

"Yeah," Ash sighed. "I'd rather just get it out of the way so my little buddy and I can be friends again." At this, Misty smirked before returning to her dishes.

Once they were all finished, Ash asked Aiden to follow him into the living room. In turn, the boy just scoffed and turned his head away, causing Ash to scowl in discouragement.

"You know he's still upset right now," Misty put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Go find something for Michelle to do while we talk to Aiden. I'll get him into the other room."

Ash nodded sadly and walked off to find Michelle, who was sitting in the family room watching television.

"Hey there princess," Ash greeted, his face lighting up at the sight of his young daughter.

"Hi Daddy!" Michelle beamed. "Wanna watch TV with me?"

"Maybe after Mommy and I do something," Ash smiled at the girl. "You know, Pikachu's always got lots of energy to burn after dinner. Why don't the two of you go upstairs and play for a little while? You know how crazy Pikachu can drive me when he won't go to sleep at night."

"Okay," Michelle slid off the couch, running into the kitchen where Pikachu was still seated by his food bowl. "Come on Pikachu!" Ash could hear Michelle beckoning sweetly to the electric mouse. "We're gonna go play!"

Ash sighed in relief before walking into the living room. Aiden was sitting on the couch with folded arms and a grumpy look on his face. Misty sat on his left side, murmuring softly to the boy.

"Hi buddy," Ash greeted, hoping that with Misty nearby, Aiden would remain calm. At his father's voice, Aiden looked up, but still showed little interest in his presence. Ash let out a heavy breath and sat on Aiden's other side, trying to formulate what to say. Misty soon beat him to the punch, however.

"Aiden, sweetheart," Misty tried, running a hand through his messy raven hair, "could you maybe tell us why the new baby makes you so upset?" Aiden scowled and shook his head.

"Buddy, we just want to know so we can help you," Ash added. "We won't be angry with you, no matter what you say. You know that, don't ya champ?"

"No," Aiden murmured, shaking his head sadly.

"What do you mean no?" Misty frowned, pulling her shoulders back.

"I'm afraid you'll get mad at me," Aiden sniffed, rubbing at his tear filled eyes.

"We could never be mad at you if there's something that's upsetting you," Ash gently rested his arm on Aiden's shoulders. "And that's a promise."

Aiden sniffled yet again and looked up at his father.

"Will you tell us what's bothering you?" Ash asked softly. Aiden nodded before looking down at his hands, which he held in his lap.

"I…" Aiden began, his voice sounding quite nervous and hesitant. "I'm afraid that you and Mommy won't love me and Michelle when the baby is born."

"Sweetheart, we could never not love you two," Misty gasped slightly, pressing her hands against the boy's cheeks. "Why would you ever think of that?"

"Well…you can only love so many people," Aiden murmured. "And the baby will take love away, won't it?"

"Oh Aiden," Ash sighed, ruffling the boy's hair. "That's not true at all."

"How?" Aiden murmured, his eyes once again watering up.

"Because I have lots of love to give," Misty assured, placing a hand over her heart. "I guess you could say that love multiplies, it doesn't divide." Aiden stared up at his mother in confusion.

"He doesn't understand math Mist," Ash smirked.

"Well, neither do you but you understand what I mean," Misty shrugged. Ash furrowed his brow before sighing and continuing on with his lecture.

"Aiden, your Mommy and I will _always _love you. Never any less than we do now. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Aiden nodded.

"You know what else might help?" Misty tickled under Aiden's chin, which made the boy reluctantly laugh. "If you got to bond with the baby. That way it'll love you before it's even born!"

"How do I do that?" Aiden blinked.

"Well, the first thing we could do is…bring you with us to the doctor when I get my check up," Misty suggested.

"Why?" Aiden frowned.

"Because then you can see the baby," Misty smiled at the young boy. "That will make you feel closer to it if you see that it's there."

"What else?" Aiden murmured.

"Uh…" Ash stammered, trying to think of something else for the child to do. Misty, however, cut in before Ash could make another suggestion.

"Why don't you touch my belly?" Misty proposed softly, her bright green eyes raising to glance at Aiden. The young boy gave his mother a confused look, while a nearly identical stare plastered on his father's face.

"Mist, there's nothing going on there yet," Ash whispered concernedly. He was afraid that if Aiden went for it, and got nothing in return, he'd just go back to hating the baby. And _right _when he was starting to be okay with it, too!

"Of course there is," Misty smiled fondly down at her still flat stomach. "There's a baby growing in there."

"Yeah, but it's not moving yet or anything. I bet not even _you _can feel the baby in there."

Misty narrowed her eyes at the Pokémon master and was about to snap back at him, until she felt a gentle touch on her midsection.

Glancing down, she spotted a tiny hand. Moving her head up, she saw Aiden staring intently at her abdomen, his black hair sweeping delicately over his bright chocolate eyes. Ash sat behind Aiden with pursed lips, afraid for whatever reaction might come out of the boy.

"That's where your little brother or sister is," Misty murmured softly to Aiden. The boy simply blinked and rubbed his hand up and down. "What do you think?"

There was more silence. Misty's breath hitched. She was afraid now that she'd upset Aiden. Why else would he not be saying anything? After what felt like an eternity, Aiden looked up at Misty with a thoughtful expression.

"Are you gonna get a big belly?" Aiden asked curiously. "Like May did?"

Misty's lips curved into a little smirk while her cheeks burned a rather bright shade of red. Despite her little bout of embarrassment, she nodded to affirm her son's inquiry.

"Can I play with your tummy when it gets bigger?" Aiden asked, excitedly bouncing up and down at the prospect.

"Play with it?" Misty raised a slender eyebrow. "What do you mean dear?"

"Damien told me that he used to use his mom's belly as a hill for his toy cars," Aiden explained, his smile growing even wider. "I want to do that! Can I, Mommy?"

Misty's blush increased even further, and despite the burning on her face, she couldn't help but to nod. Aiden just seemed so happy, how in the world could she say no?

"Yay!" Aiden cheered, throwing his arms around Misty. "Thank you Mommy! I'm excited now!"

Misty giggled and hugged the boy back. He quickly jumped out of Misty's arms and onto Ash, looking up at the older male with a big, heartwarming grin.

"What do you think now, champ?" Ash asked kindly. "Are you a little more excited now?"

"Yes!" Aiden nodded with great fervor. "I can't _wait!_" And with that, he jumped off of his father's lap in order to go and play with his sister and Pikachu.

**XXX**

A few days later, it was time for Misty's first ultrasound appointment.

Aiden and Michelle had wanted to come along in order to see the baby. Unfortunately, trying to keep two 5 year olds entertained in a doctor's office was next to impossible. Especially for Ash, who was predominantly in charge of watching after the children.

"Mommy, is the doctor going to give you shots?" Michelle frowned. She knew that, just like herself, her mother was not a fan of the pesky needles.

"No, there are no shots," Misty smiled at her young daughter. "I'm just getting a checkup is all."

"A check up?" Michelle squeaked as she opened up several of the drawers that sat in the doctor's office. Misty shot Ash a rather horrified look, to which Ash nodded as if to say _I'm on it._

"Michelle, sweetie, come here," Ash called, "don't do that." Michelle looked back at her father with fairly confused eyes, but she seemed to drop the matter rather quickly when she scurried back over to the Pokémon master. Ash bent over and lifted the girl onto his right knee, patting her on the head once she was secured. Aiden had already taken the left side.

"When's Mommy gonna get fat?" Aiden leaned his head back and glanced up at Ash. At the term fat, Misty's eyes widened and her cheeks began to glow a bright shade of pink.

"Well, first of all bud, don't call your Mommy fat," Ash tried. "Ever."

"Okay," Aiden lowered his head, leaning in closer to Ash.

"And it won't be too much longer until she gets her baby belly," Ash smiled fondly at Misty, who in turn twisted her mouth into a displeased shape. "Maybe just a few more weeks."

"I want a sister Mommy," Michelle suddenly piped up. Ash and Misty blinked at the girl, who simply smiled back at them. At the outburst, Aiden furrowed his brow and sat back. It looked as if he was thinking deeply about something.

"What about you Aiden?" Ash asked, bouncing the boy up just once. "Are you hoping for a brother or a sister?"

Before Aiden could answer, the door to the examination room swung open, somewhat alarming the young children. Dr. Aaron walked in and noticed the two sitting on Ash's lap. He beamed at them, earning a confused look from the twins.

"Is that really Aiden and Michelle?" Dr. Aaron asked, folding his arms.

"Yes," Misty answered with a wide grin. "They're quite different from the last time you saw them, now aren't they?"

"They've gotten so big," Dr. Aaron sighed. "Certainly not little babies anymore."

"Who's that?" Aiden asked rather loudly as he tugged at Ash's shirt. The Pokémon master blushed slightly at the inquiry. It wasn't exactly forwarded in the most polite way, but then again Aiden was only a little boy. He hardly knew right from wrong.

"Aiden, Michelle, this is Dr. Aaron," Misty answered for her flustered husband. "He was there the day you two were born, and he used to give you your checkups when you were babies."

"He's cute!" Michelle smiled. Misty choked back a laugh, especially upon seeing Ash's face.

"Why thank you sweetheart," Dr. Aaron blushed slightly. "You're a very kind little girl." Looking back at Misty, he smiled and continued, "So, are you excited to see the baby for the first time?"

"Of course," Misty smiled angelically. "I was so excited last night I could hardly sleep!"

"Excuse me!" Michelle called loudly as she held her arm up. "I have a question."

"Yes Michelle?" Dr. Aaron smiled at the young red head.

"How can you see the baby?" Michelle asked in a cute little voice, her eyes going big and wide. Misty always called it the "Teddiursa Act" because it reminded her of the naughty little Teddiursa she had once trusted back in Johto.

"Yeah," Aiden agreed, pulling at his hair, "isn't it in her tummy? How can you see it in there?"

"Well, I've got a special machine that we can use to look inside your Mommy's stomach," Dr. Aaron explained in a gentle voice to the two young children. "That way, we can see the baby and make sure it's nice and healthy."

"So can we see it now?" Michelle cocked her head.

"In just a minute," the physician chuckled. "I have to give your Mommy her check up first."

He walked back over to Misty and asked her a few questions, which she answered diligently. After writing them down in his chart, Dr. Aaron began Misty's physical examination, checking her heart rate, blood pressure, and feeling around her stomach, gently pushing against it.

"Nothing hurts, right?" Dr. Aaron inquired.

'No," Misty shook her head. "I haven't had any pains, really. Just a lot of morning sickness. But it seems to be slowing down a little now."

"Excellent," Dr. Aaron beamed at the gym leader. "You're in perfect health, my dear."

A great wave of relief washed over both Ash and Misty. They knew that being pregnant put Misty's body in a very fragile state, one that could be potentially life threatening. Ash typically worried more so than Misty, which was understandable. Misty was always sure she'd be just fine, but Ash couldn't help it. He loved Misty more than life itself. Without her, he wouldn't be able to live, and he just wanted her to get through everything as safely as possible.

"Ash?"

The Pokémon master snapped out of his trance and looked up at his wife, who was smiling gently at him.

"What is it?" Ash blinked. "Everything okay Mist?"

"Of course," Misty giggled. "But you were in your own little world over there. I just thought you'd might like to see our baby."

"Yeah," Ash slowly nodded his head before a big smile broke out on his face. "I would love to see it."

"Daddy, you like the baby?" Aiden asked, looking up at his father.

"Of course I do!" Ash chuckled, tickling Aiden under his arm. The boy shrieked delightfully and squirmed in the older male's lap. "It's my baby, too. I love it just the way I love you and Michelle."

"Alright Misty," Dr. Aaron glanced at the gym leader, "you know what to do!"

Misty nodded and laid back, lifting her shirt off of her stomach. Dr. Aaron walked towards her with the tube of gel, and quickly noticed the apprehensive looks on the twins' faces. They didn't understand what he was doing. Chuckling, the physician turned towards the children and started to explain the procedure to them.

"This is some gel that I have to put on your Mommy's tummy," Dr. Aaron elucidated.

"Does it hurt?" Michelle frowned.

"No," Misty shook her head. "It's just very cold."

Dr. Aaron nodded in the affirmative and began to spread the colored substance onto Misty's slightly bloated belly. She gasped lightly, which frightened the children sitting on Ash's lap. Looking down at the two, Misty smirked and chattered a simple "brr!" She just wanted to prove that she was alright, and it seemed to work. Aiden and Michelle were laughing at the simple action.

"Now, I'm going to run this wand over her belly," Dr. Aaron showed the device to the twins. "This will help us to see the baby."

Aiden and Michelle nodded intently, while Ash just smiled at the scene. He knew all of this already, of course, but it never failed to get old for the raven haired Pokémon master. He especially loved seeing his children's reactions to everything.

Dr. Aaron ran the wand over Misty's stomach, the nearby screen jumping to life with various black and gray shapes. The twins, and even Ash, looked quite confused as they scoured the screen, searching for whatever could possibly be the baby.

"Ah, here it is!"

Dr. Aaron was pointing at a very dark gray, nearly black spot in the upper middle of the light gray area. It hardly resembled a baby, looking more so like a blob.

"That's a baby?" Aiden squeaked.

"It doesn't look like it," Michelle added.

"Yeah, that's your little brother or sister," Misty smiled, tears filling her sparkling green eyes. Seeing her little baby for the first time made the gym leader incredibly emotional, although her out of whack hormones did nothing to help the matter.

"It's too early to tell if it's a boy or a girl, right?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Dr. Aaron nodded, "but you can hear its heartbeat, if you'd like."

"Could we?" Misty beamed. Dr. Aaron chuckled before turning the sound on the machine up. A heavy, fast paced thumping noise filled the room, causing the tears to fall freely from Misty's eyes and for Ash to choke up as well.

"Oh my Arceus," Ash whispered, the grin on his face wide and disbelieving.

"What do you two think?" Misty asked the two children, wiping tears away as she did so.

"Why are you crying Mommy?" Michelle gasped softly.

"I'm very happy dear," Misty laughed. "I'm not sad, don't worry. So what do you two think?"

"I like the baby," Michelle smiled, leaning her head into Ash's chest. Everyone was waiting for Aiden's response. The young boy was still looking at the screen, his dark brown eyes flickering with interest and seemingly deep study.

"Aiden?" Ash prodded the boy.

"I…like it," Aiden smiled softly. "I like seeing the baby, Mommy."

"You're ready to be a big brother?" Misty asked kindly.

"Yes," Aiden nodded feverously. "I'm going to be the best big brother _ever!_"

* * *

><p><strong>Cameo from Drew. The resident pretty boy. Doesn't that just make the whole chapter?<strong>

**Maybe not. I don't know! XD**

**So yes, Aiden is happy...for now. You know kids, always changing their minds and just being crazy. We'll see what happens though. Patience is a virtue :P Also, this chapter is about the normal length of a chapter for this story. Some might be a little longer or shorter, depending on what has to go in.**

**Soo the first chapter got a great reception and I'm THRILLED you guys are so excited for the sequel! I love making people happy ^^ And I love writing these stories too. So everyone is all happy sunshine rainbows. Seriously though, your suppourt is awesome. Thank you so much!**

**I'll see you all next time. For me, it's now HOCKEY TIMEEE.**


	3. Sweet Mother Misty

**Hello there dear readers! Did you know this chapter ended up only...9 words shorter than the last one? Well you do now :P I love this chapter by the way. If you're looking for Pokeshippy goodness, this chapter is FULL of it. Lots of cute Ash and Misty interactions in this one.**

**Thought I'd post this today as a start off to my best week ever. All of my favorite shows are coming back on (ESPECIALLY looking forward to Glee!) and there's lots of big hockey events about to go down. Like...training camp just started today! So you all go ahead and read this chapter while I fangirl over new Glee songs and training camp stories, kay?**

* * *

><p>One morning, as Misty ran around the kitchen preparing for another busy day, Ash couldn't help but to stare at her.<p>

"Okay," Misty murmured to herself as she paced, "I need to run over to the gym, do that paperwork, then go to the store and buy the stuff for dinner, but Aiden needs new shirts…"

"Hey Misty?" Ash called out. The gym leader stopped in her tracks and looked frantically over towards Ash.

"What is it dear?" Misty asked.

"I think you need to calm down a little bit," Ash twisted his mouth. "You _are _pregnant after all. Stress is no good for our baby. And besides…" Ash stopped as a warm smile grew on his face. "You're beginning to show."

Misty's brow seemed to itch as she rested a hand on her very tiny baby bump. It wasn't well defined as of yet, but Ash could definitely tell it was there. And he assumed others could see it as well.

"I meant to talk to you about that," Misty mentioned softly. Ash looked a little alarmed, and Misty noticed. She made a motion for him to calm down, indicating that it wasn't a big deal. Ash let out a breath and nodded, waiting for Misty to continue. "I popped a lot earlier than I did with Aiden and Michelle. Do you think everything is okay?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded confidently as he stirred his coffee. "May wouldn't shut up about "the second pregnancy" while she was over. She was really into telling me all about it. Anyway, she told me you would probably start showing earlier because you've already been pregnant once before, so your body is more accustomed to what it needs to do."

"I see," Misty mused as she rubbed the bottom of her little belly. "That makes sense. I was starting to get afraid that I might have been pregnant with another set of twins."

"Oh no," Ash rubbed his temples. He added laughingly, "Honey, you know I love Aiden and Michelle with all of my heart, but I _sincerely _hope there's just one this time around."

"Dr. Aaron said it's definitely one," Misty smiled reassuringly at her husband. "He told me he looked _very_ closely at the sonogram, and saw nothing. Not a second heartbeat or a trace of another baby hiding behind this one. I think we're in the clear."

"Okay," Ash sighed, feeling a sense of relief. He thought of another good reason why Misty had started showing earlier, but he didn't know whether or not he should bring it up. The sound of a bag tearing brought Ash's attention back up to Misty. She was opening up a bag of gummy candies. "What are you doing Misty?"

"Eating," Misty replied simply before shoving a handful of candy into her mouth.

"Candy though? It's eight o'clock in the morning."

"I wan' it," Misty pouted, her voice muffled by all the candy in her mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ash scolded. He froze suddenly as his eyes grew wide. "Oh my Arceus, I'm turning into you."

Misty giggled after swallowing the mouthful of candy. "Glad to know I'm rubbing off on you after all these years." She stuck her hand back into the bag and took more candy. Furrowing his brow, Ash finally decided to share his thoughts with Misty.

"Ya know, another reason you might have gotten that bump earlier is all of the…eating you're doing," Ash ended lamely. Misty shot him a deathly glare. Trembling slightly, Ash continued, albeit a lot more hesitantly, "well, your cravings seem a lot stronger this time around. And it all seems to be for things that have sugar in them."

"So the baby likes candy," Misty shrugged, retrieving some more of the treats. "I _craved _apples during my entire first pregnancy, and you know that anything apple flavored is Aiden and Michelle's favorite. Apples, apple juice, apple pastries, you name it. This little one just so happens to enjoy candy."

"Yes, but _apples _are healthy," Ash pointed out. "Candy? Not so much."

Misty pouted and moved closer to Ash so she could sit in his lap. In turn, Ash smirked and patted her tiny bump. "I just want to make the baby happy."

"I know you do," Ash nodded, kissing up and down her arm. "You're just doing what your body is telling you to do. But…" Ash took his hand and plucked away the bag of candy, causing Misty to squeak with displeasure. "No more candy. Not for today. You _know _you're supposed to be eating healthy. Right now, I'd rather have the baby be healthy than happy."

"That's just cruel," Misty huffed. "Not wanting it to be healthy, of course, but not wanting it to be happy."

"I'm sorry babe," Ash wrapped his arms around her midsection, "but I just want everything to turn out alright. I'm just a caring Daddy is all. Just like you're a caring Mommy."

"I guess," Misty murmured rather sadly.

"Hey," Ash whispered, turning Misty's face towards him. He examined her little frown, and smiled sweetly as a reflex. "Promise me? No more candy today, alright?"

Misty continued to frown, but she finally nodded slowly. Ash gave Misty another hug as he kissed her. Groaning, Misty got up, feeling rather miserable. Her hormones were a complete wreck, and Ash was only making them worse at this point. All she wanted was her candy.

It wasn't long before Ash had to leave for work. He kissed Misty good bye, as well as the twins who were now sitting at the table eating their breakfast. As soon as he was gone, Misty retrieved the bag of candy and continued to eat it. She wasn't about to follow Ash's orders like a little kid. She was a grown woman damnit.

"I want candy too, Mommy!"

Misty looked down at Michelle, who in turn was looking up at her in want. Aiden soon turned his attention to Misty and let out a little gasp.

"How come you get to eat candy for breakfast?"

"Because it's what the baby wants," Misty smiled sympathetically. "I have to give in."

"But…we want candy also," Michelle reiterated.

"Aren't we your babies too?" Aiden folded his arms.

Now Misty found herself caught. She had definitely made it sound like she was spoiling the baby. Aiden and Michelle didn't understand cravings, and Misty was fairly certain they wouldn't care either. It looked like she was going to have to give up the craving just for the children's sake.

"Okay, I'll tell you what," Misty reasoned with her two older kids, "I will give you each _two _pieces of candy. And then we're going to put them away. No more candy for the day. Does that sound good to you guys?"

The twins nodded excitedly. Misty smirked as she handed the pieces of sugar off to the young children. She was _definitely _a caring Mommy, alright.

**XXX**

Misty successfully went the rest of the day without eating a single piece of sugar. She excitedly told Ash of her feat when he came home, which caused him to grin and hug his wife closely.

"I'm proud of you Mist," Ash kissed her forehead. "I know it can't be easy for a woman to ignore her cravings, but this is in the best interests of our little baby."

"Mmhm," Misty nodded, biting at her lip when Ash turned away. She wanted to eat candy _so _badly, but knew Ash would chastise her if he found out.

She got through dinner without even sneaking a piece of candy, and even decided to skip dessert for the evening. Although she wanted to eat sugar more than anything in the world right about now, Misty could see how proud Ash was of her, and she didn't want to let him down. Her first pregnancy had been nothing but anger and yelling. This time around, it was all tears.

And Misty hated it.

It was completely against the pretty red head's character to cry. And by the time she got into bed at night, her hormones were a wreck. As soon as Ash walked through the bedroom door, she burst out into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Her husband of course became worried. He jumped up onto the bed, holding her close and rubbing her back.

"Come on Mist, why are you so upset?" Ash frowned.

Misty simply shrugged and kept on crying.

"Your hormones are a mess, aren't they?"

Misty nodded this time.

"Oh, my poor angel," Ash cooed, kissing her temple. He laid down a little, still holding Misty. He moved one of his hands lower, gently stroking her tiny baby bump. "Will you stop crying for me? I hate to see you cry sweetheart."

"I don't want to," Misty mumbled tearfully as she nestled in closer to Ash's chest. "I don't want to…cry."

"You don't need to cry then," Ash soothed, pulling her a little closer. "Hey, do you know what tomorrow is?"

"No," Misty lied. She knew what it was, of course. But she wanted to hear Ash say it. The bubbliness in his voice whenever he brought it up was just too cute.

"You don't?" Ash gasped playfully. Misty looked up at him and smirked, his face becoming visibly more relaxed when he saw the tiny grin.

"I do," Misty finally admitted. "But…I want you to say it. Please Ashy?" She sealed the plead with a little pout, one so adorable she knew Ash wouldn't be able to resist.

"Alright," Ash poked his nose against hers. In a rather high pitched voice, he answered "We get to go see the baby!"

"Yay," Misty smiled blissfully as she snuggled into Ash.

"Maybe you're far along enough to tell the gender of the baby!" Ash added excitedly, his dark brown eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Maybe…" Misty sighed. She was beginning to fall asleep. Ash beamed as he watched her doze off, and it wasn't long before he was gone as well.

**XXX**

Misty didn't stay asleep for long, however.

At exactly midnight she woke up, her stomach churning innocently. It wasn't from nausea, however.

She was _starving._

"You've got to eat, don't you?" Misty murmured as she looked down at her slightly protruding stomach. It growled again, as if answering her in the affirmative. She smiled and gave it a little pat, crawling out of bed. "Don't worry baby. Mommy is going to get you fed."

Moving swiftly but softly so as to not wake Ash or the twins, Misty scurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, turning on the dimmer lights at a very low level.

"What should I eat?" Misty asked herself. Her stomach growled again, and Misty rolled her eyes. She forgot that she wasn't necessarily the one making the decisions here. The baby wanted specific things to eat, and more often than not, Misty was going to give in to her body.

But it killed her when, at times like this, it _still _wanted sugar. A nice chocolate chip cookie to be precise.

"But I can't…" Misty whimpered miserably. Again, her stomach turned in protest. Misty furrowed her brow at this. The baby was already fighting her at every turn. Misty could already tell the unborn child had inherited Ash's personality. "I couldn't get a nice, mellow kid, now could I?"

A series of rather harsh flutters went off in Misty's stomach, which slightly alarmed the red head. She hadn't felt that much movement yet! So that really meant her baby was growing. At that thought, Misty couldn't help but to smile.

"Well…alright," Misty once again began to caress her tiny bump. "I'll give you a cookie. But just one!" She walked over to the cabinet, sneaking a cookie out of the box and slowly eating just the one. Each bite tasted _so _good, however. Misty could've sworn she'd never eaten anything so good before! Before she knew it, the cookie was gone, and Misty found herself quite miserable.

"Hmm…one more can't hurt, can it?" Misty scratched her head. Once again her stomach gurgled, and that prompted an almost delirious grin from the gym leader. "Guess not!"

She took another cookie out of the package and ate it much more quickly than the first. And once that one was gone, Misty found herself craving the treat even more. With a quick glance to the left, Misty smirked and grabbed onto the box, carrying it over to the table.

"You're a good girl or boy," Misty addressed her stomach as some more flutters went off. "You like to move around and prove to me that you're okay. So that deserves a reward, right? Something like cookies, which you love so much!"

She began digging into the package, heartily eating the cookies without a care in the world. Unfortunately for the expectant gym leader, she was too busy enjoying herself to hear the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Misty, what are you doing?"

Misty grew wide eyed and whipped her head around. Ash was standing in the doorway, his arms folded with a less than pleased expression on his handsome face.

"Eating," Misty answered innocently.

"Yeah, eating _sugar_!" Ash cried. He hurried over to the red head and took the box away, earning a sad little whimper from the water type trainer. "Misty, I already told you this isn't good for the baby."

"But I want it!" Misty whined much like Aiden or Michelle did when they wanted something.

"I know you do," Ash sighed. He had gotten very skilled in denying people of things because of the twins. Of course, he usually spoiled them. He could only say no when he knew Misty was going to kill him. "But it just isn't the right thing to be eating."

The tears in Misty's eyes suddenly evaporated, and her hands clenched into tight fists. Ash noticed this change immediately and began to back away, his hands holding the package of cookies behind his back. Her teary hormonal state had been quickly replaced by the one that had defined her throughout her first pregnancy; anger.

"Ash Ketchum," Misty growled lowly, her cheeks glowing a faint shade of red, "you are going to give me those cookies back if it's the _last_ thing you do or so help me Arceus…"

"Are you really threatening me over a box of cookies?" Ash deadpanned, although a flash of fear shot through his russet eyes.

"I want my cookies back!" Misty yelled, jumping at Ash. Without a second thought, Ash tossed the box on the floor, grabbing onto Misty and pulling her up into a bridal style hold. "Hey! Put me down!"

"Misty, I'm only trying to help you," Ash warned before pressing his lips against hers. Misty continued to flail and scream into the kiss, but it didn't take long for her to relax. Her body stilled as one of her hands reached up towards Ash's neck. The angry shouts turned into moans as she returned Ash's kiss, her fingers now toying with his messy black bed hair.

"I love you, and I love that baby," Ash breathed once he and Misty separated. She was panting heavily, staring up guiltlessly at her attractive husband. "I have to make sure you _and_ I take good care of the both of you."

"I…I know," Misty frowned, her hand lowering to his chest. She felt the rigid muscles through his shirt before gently resting her head on it. "But I can't help it. Ash, I don't know how to fight what my body is demanding from me."

"You just have to try your hardest sweetheart," Ash sighed, kissing her yet again. "I understand it isn't easy, and I'm going to try and help you. Okay?"

"Yes," Misty murmured, her emerald eyes shifting downwards. "I'll try."

**XXX**

The next morning, Misty was surprised to find that Ash was not in bed when she woke up. The Pokémon master treasured his sleep, and _never _got up before his wife. At the least, he would usually wake up the same time as her.

Blinking, Misty slipped out of bed and went to go check on the twins. She wrapped her arms around herself, not having realized how cold it was in the house. Ash would certainly reprimand her for not wearing a robe; his fear of her getting a nasty cold like the last time she was pregnant haunted him like a ghost.

After peeking into both Aiden and Michelle's rooms and seeing the two children still fast asleep, Misty tip toed downstairs, just in case Ash had moved to the living room in the middle of the night. Sometimes, especially when she was pregnant, Misty would have strange dreams and get rather restless in her sleep. This would usually result in Ash getting kicked a few times.

Misty's shock became even greater, however, when she saw Ash moving frantically around the kitchen, messing around with the cabinet doors while simultaneously attempting to…cook?

"Arceus Ash!" Misty cried when she saw the pan on the stove starting to smoke up. She grabbed onto the pan and began moving it back and forth. "You can't just leave a pan on a hot stove! What in the world are you doing?"

"Trying to help," Ash twisted his mouth as he walked away from the cabinets. "I thought I would make breakfast."

"Ash, you can't cook, and we all know it," Misty sighed, rubbing her temples. "Even Aiden and Michelle know it. So explain to me how this is supposed to be helpful?"

"Well, I know that you have really lousy impulse control," Ash began, earning an angry glare from Misty that went unnoticed. "I was afraid you'd eat something bad for breakfast, like the kids' sugary cereal. So I thought I'd make you something that's good for you and the baby."

"And…_what_ would that be?" Misty raised a slender eyebrow, peering into the pan. Whatever Ash had attempted to cook was now burnt to a crisp.

"I was making you eggs," Ash frowned. "You need lots of protein, you know. I thought you could have it with a nice cup of flavored steam milk and your pre natal vitamins."

"Yum," Misty droned sardonically as she dumped the burnt egg.

"Hey, don't get sarcastic," Ash folded his arms. "I'm just trying to take care of you!"

"I know you are," Misty sulked, trying to show Ash she understood. "That doesn't mean this is fun for me, though. I don't even _like_ eggs that much, Ash. And I miss my coffee! I know I have to make these sacrifices, but still…"

"You hate it," Ash finished.

"Yeah," Misty murmured, looking down at her feet.

"Oh angel," Ash smiled sadly. He gathered Misty into his arms and hugged the woman, leaving what seemed like a thousand kisses in her silky orange tresses. "I'm sorry."

"Is that the only reason you came down here so early?" Misty asked as she glanced up. "To try and make me a healthy breakfast?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I thought you got annoyed with me last night," Misty shrugged. "I know that sometimes I kick you too much in my sleep."

"Ah, that's why," Ash chuckled, gently rubbing Misty's back.

"Did I kick you at all last night?" Misty blinked.

"Yes," Ash answered after a short moment. "It wasn't so bad though. Just a few times. After awhile, I started rubbing your back and you relaxed."

Misty smiled and rested her head against Ash's chest. It was her favorite place in the world to respite.

"Where's your robe?"

Misty furrowed her brow and raised her head once again. Ash was trying to give her a serious look, but the smirk growing on his face was hard to disguise. In response, she blushed slightly and let out a soft chuckle.

"In our room."

"What have I said about walking around in just your pajamas during this time?" Ash brushed under her chin. "It's early March; still cold in here."

"I just…forgot is all," Misty flashed Ash her bright emerald eyes. "I'm sorry Ashy."

"And all you're in is this cute…skimpy nightgown," Ash turned red from embarrassment as he plucked at the satin, sky blue garment. "Your arms and legs are all…uncovered."

"I know," Misty brushed some of her bangs away.

"Could you at least put pants and a shirt on?" Ash pouted. Misty giggled girlishly at the action and got up on her tippy toes to kiss Ash.

"If you insist honey."

Ash kissed Misty back before letting the gym leader go. Looking over Ash's shoulder, Misty approached the cabinet and began to survey it.

"Uh Mist…" Ash's face paled quickly. "What're you doing?"

"I saw you messing around with the cabinets," Misty looked at him. "Are they broken or something?"

"Uh…no…"

Misty turned back towards the cupboard and examined it. When she realized what Ash had been doing, her brow evened out and she shot Ash an annoyed expression.

"Ash…"

"What?"

"Did you put _LOCKS_ on the cabinet doors?" Misty fumed.

"I need to keep you away from all that sugar!" Ash cried in defense.

"Ash, do you really think my self control is _that _bad?" Misty wailed, her eyes quickly filling up with tears. At this, Ash groaned and rolled his eyes. _Those damn hormones!_

"N…no baby," Ash lied, rubbing his hands up and down Misty's arms. "Of course not. I just…want to make absolutely, positively sure that you don't eat any sugar! I'm protecting you, sweetheart."

"You keep saying that," Misty pouted as she looked away. "And I don't believe you."

"How could you not believe me?" Ash frowned. "I wouldn't lie to you, Misty." He tried to resist wincing. After all, Ash had just lied to her about thirty seconds ago. "It's not a big deal, okay honey?"

Misty huffed and pulled herself out of Ash's grip. She wasn't necessarily _angry_ with the Pokémon master, but she certainly wasn't happy.

And she _still_ wanted some damn sugar.

**XXX**

That afternoon, Misty sat miserably at the kitchen table, looking over some forms the league had sent her. She was absolutely starving, and the baby was demanding food. Her stomach was turning and churning rather loudly, while fierce flutters went off from within her midsection.

"I know, I know…" Misty hushed as she patted her belly. She'd been trying her hardest to only eat things that were considered good for her and the baby, but her bad sugar cravings had only gotten worse over the past few hours.

_Damn you Ash, _Misty thought miserably as she tossed the papers away, _why'd you have to lock the freaking cabinets?_

"Hi Mommy."

Misty turned her head and saw Aiden scampering into the kitchen. The young boy calmly approached the cabinet and looked up at the look with an innocent glance. Smiling softly, he stood up on his tippy toes and somehow undid the lock, causing it to fall to the floor. Misty's eyes widened, but Aiden didn't take any notice. He was too busy retrieving the box of cookies that Misty had commandeered the night before.

"Aiden," Misty asked calmly, "how did you unlock that?"

"It was easy," Aiden shrugged. "I saw Daddy messing with it and I figured out how it worked."

Misty resisted the urge to smirk. In truth, this was probably really bad. This little skill could lead her son to becoming a mastermind criminal of some sort. But for now, Misty was pregnant, hormonal, and suffering from all kinds of cravings, so she didn't quite care.

"Am I in trouble?" Aiden's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, no sweetheart. Not at all."

"Should I put it back on?" Aiden squeaked.

"No!" Misty answered quickly. Relaxing herself, she continued, "No, its fine Aiden. I'll put it back."

"Okay," Aiden nodded, hurrying out of the room with the box still in hand. Shifting her eyes left from right, Misty got up and opened the cabinets, studying the different shelves. There had to be _something _sugary for her to eat…

"Yes!" Misty shrieked excitedly when she found a box of the twins' cereal. It was the kind that was filled with colorful marshmallows, and just the thought of it was enough to make Misty's mouth water. "Have I got a treat for you, little baby!"

Her stomach growled in response, to which Misty giggled and patted her little bump. She poured the cereal into a bowl with some milk and began eating it, her eyes closing blissfully as she ate.

And then, in a near carbon copy incident from the night before, Ash walked through the door without Misty noticing and caught the gym leader red handed.

"Misty, are you serious?"

Misty shrieked and dropped her spoon on the table. She turned her nervous gaze onto Ash, who looked absolutely enraged.

"A…Ash! What…what are you doing home so early?"

"I got all of my training done already," Ash blinked, not moving an inch. "Misty…you don't listen to me, do you?"

"Yes I do!" Misty retorted. Ash shot her a look, and she blushed in response. They both knew that was an absolute lie.

"How did you even get the lock off of the cabinet?" Ash cried, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"_I_ didn't! _Aiden_ did!"

"Ah, that boy of ours," Ash sighed, trying to stifle a laugh. Upon seeing the cereal in front of Misty once again, however, Ash regained his serious demeanor and folded his arms.

"Ash, you don't understand how hard this is for me," Misty narrowed her eyes. "I know you're trying to take care of me, but I find it really insensitive that you can't understand what I'm going through. My body is making demands and I just can't fight them!"

"Misty, you have to find a way," Ash sighed, resting his hands against the table.

"Too bad," Misty snapped, "it's not happening."

"Oh, it's gonna happen," Ash shook his head as he turned to go up the stairs. "Just you wait."

**XXX**

The next day, Misty had her next doctor's appointment. She was still mad at Ash for not letting her eat what she wanted, and Ash was still upset with Misty for defying him.

So when Dr. Aaron walked into the waiting room to call Ash and Misty in, it was a bit awkward for the physician to find the couple sitting next to each other but facing opposite directions.

"Uh…is everything…okay with you two?" Dr. Aaron asked, his olive green eyes shifting between the Pokémon master and gym leader.

"Yeah," they both grumbled simultaneously. At this, they shot each other nasty glares before huffing and looking back away.

Despite their vehement ignorance of one another, the couple followed Dr. Aaron back into the examination room, with Misty taking her usual seat on the examination chair.

"And there's _really_ nothing going on here?" Dr. Aaron glanced up from his folder. Misty said nothing, but Ash sighed and took a step forward.

"Actually, yes, there is."

"What?" Misty rolled her shoulders back. "No there isn't!"

"Yes there is," Ash sighed. Looking back at the doctor, he continued, "you see, Misty's got really bad cravings, and they're all for sugar. She won't stop eating things like candy and cookies. I've tried my hardest to keep her away from all that stuff, but she just keeps going back to it."

"It's not that big of a deal," Misty looked down scoffing. "He's just way too overprotective."

"Actually…that _is_ a problem, Misty."

Misty glanced back up at Dr. Aaron, who had a rather grave look on his face. At this, her heart flattered slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"If you eat too much sugar, that has the potential to put the baby in danger," Dr. Aaron mused knowledgeably. "You could develop things like high blood pressure, which in turn could adversely affect the baby."

"Like how?" Misty asked numbly.

"Well…it could be born too early, and with various health problems, or worse," Dr. Aaron frowned. "And with the health problems you already have from being pregnant, the risk you take is much too great."

"I…I didn't know," Misty looked terribly guilty. Even Ash looked culpable as he stared sadly at his wife. He had only thought eating all that sugar wasn't healthy for the two. He had no idea it could be potentially life threatening.

"It's alright. You definitely haven't been doing anything long enough to harm the baby. But I would suggest curbing the cravings."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Misty sulked. "It's really hard to just not eat what my body wants."

"I understand," Dr. Aaron nodded as he examined the red head. "See, it's not like sugar is completely deadly for you. You can have things like that in moderation, which should help to satisfy the cravings. But really try not to have it at all hours of the day. Once, _maybe_ twice a day isn't so bad."

"Okay," Misty sniffed, which surprised her quite a bit. When had she started crying? Dr. Aaron smiled sympathetically at the woman and patted her knee.

"You're just fine Misty," Dr. Aaron assured. "I'm going to give you an ultrasound now, alright?"

Misty nodded and leaned back. Before she could lift her shirt up, Ash grabbed gently onto her wrist and leaned down, his eyes shining over with sadness.

"What?" Misty croaked quietly.

"I'm sorry baby," Ash hushed, giving Misty a chaste kiss on the lips. "I didn't realize…I didn't know that eating all that stuff was actually dangerous. You're not scared, are you? I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Misty assured, reaching up to brush his cheek. "I'm glad you told the doctor. If I hadn't known, our baby might've…" Misty voice trailed off.

"But it won't," Ash pulled Misty's shirt off of her stomach and rubbed the tiny bump. "Dr. Aaron said its okay. You'll both be just fine."

Dr. Aaron stepped next to Misty and began the process of starting the ultrasound. It was the same as usual; Misty feeling her stomach muscles twitch at the cold gel's contact, which was eventually spread out and ran over with the wand. The three inhabitants of the room gazed upon the screen, where the baby soon came into sight.

"Look how much bigger it is!" Ash smiled, looking down at Misty. She tried to remain miserable, but that just wasn't possible when she was looking at her little baby.

"It's a good size for this time frame," Dr. Aaron noted. "A nice, healthy little thing."

"Can you tell us if it's a boy or a girl?" Misty asked hopefully.

"Well, you are about far along enough for me to know…" Dr. Aaron murmured as he examined the screen. After a few moments, his brow furrowed and he straightened out his stance with a small "huh."

"What is it doc?" Ash pulled his shoulders back. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. But, well, I can't tell you the baby's gender."

"Why not?" Misty raised a bewildered eyebrow.

"Well, to be blunt, the baby is being difficult," Dr. Aaron chuckled. "See, it's on its side."

"You're telling me this kid is already being a brat?" Misty twisted her mouth and put her head back. "Congratulations Ash, it's inherited your personality."

"Thanks," Ash grinned boldly before realizing what Misty had said. "_Hey!_"

"You know I love you," Misty giggled, wrapping an arm around Ash's waist. He grunted, but eventually showed off a playful grin.

"I might be able to tell you next time," Dr. Aaron cleaned Misty off, "provided the baby moves a little bit and makes the job easier."

"You hear that?" Ash poked his nose against Misty's belly. "Start turning around!"

Misty looked down at her bloated stomach and added, "for once, I would like you to listen to your father."

Ash huffed quietly and once again addressed the unborn child, "your mother is just _so_ sweet, isn't she?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe, see, full circle? Misty eating the sweets, and then Ash calling her (albeit sarcastically) sweet? I'm so clever! *silence* Oh.<strong>

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I like this one alot; I'm proud of it. Keep on reviewing, I love all of the feedback I've reccieved for this story so far ^^ I like keeping you all entertained!**

**Hopefully the next chapter will be up sometime next week, since I'm gonna be in a super good mood for it. So until then, see you all later!**


	4. Help Me Help You

**GRRR. I just wrote this WHOLE author's note, and my internet went out. Stupid computer. Let me try this again...**

**HI EVERYONE! There we go. So, I figured I would upload this chapter today seeing as I'm home from school and have nothing else to do. We're all passing illness around to each other, my classmates and I. Fun stuff. And I'll just be too busy the rest of the week with all of my TV show premieres (Castle and GLEE!) Plus Demi Lovato's new album tomorrow. And I'll probably have school work to make up too. But, see, I hate school, it's lame and boring. And I'm a senior, so I've stopped caring about school :P**

**Anyway, this chapter is pretty signifigant. We meet a new, major character, the main plot is introduced, and we also get a peek at our two new antagonists. How exciting!**

**So, go ahead and read on. And if you actually read this entire author's note, you are awesome and we should be best friends.**

* * *

><p>"…Excuse me?"<p>

Ash stared into his wife's emerald eyes. They looked like they were on fire, with what Ash had just suggested.

"Come on babe, it isn't a bad idea."

"Look, Ashy, I know you're all worried about me," Misty placed a hand on her now bigger bump to emphasize her point, "but, as shocking as this may be for you to hear, being pregnant is _not _a disability. I'm still able to go about my life as per usual."

"I didn't say you couldn't," Ash sighed. "All I suggested was you getting an assistant for the gym. You know, to help you out. Not to battle and stuff. I understand that's your job."

"You're damn right it is!" Misty snapped.

"Misty, don't swear!" Ash gasped. Misty sighed and patted her stomach. Ash was _so _afraid of the baby picking up on swear words and the like, now that the little thing could hear more of what was going on outside. "And he would only help out with…chores and stuff. You know, like cleaning the gym. Which is stuff you already hate doing."

"You just said he," Misty narrowed her eyes. "You've got something in mind already, don't you?"

"Okay, so his name is Justin…"

"Ash, why do you do this to me?" Misty groaned, grabbing at her head.

"Do what?" Ash folded his arms.

"You always back me into a corner," Misty growled lowly. "You've already got somebody all set up for the job, and they're expecting to start at such and such a date, and how the hell…"

"Misty!"

"_Heck_," Misty rectified, "am I supposed to say no?"

"You could say no if you want," Ash shrugged.

"What, and make myself look like a bitch?"

"MISTY!"

"Fine," Misty rolled her eyes. "Just tell me about this…guy."

"Right. His name is Justin. He's a young kid; he's only 20 years old. Anyway, he's the son of somebody I work with at the Pokémon League; Mark. He's really fun, for an older guy. This one time…"

"Ash, get to the point," Misty tried her hardest not to snap.

"Okay. So, Mark is always telling me how Justin is looking for some kind of job. He loves Pokémon, and is really good with kids. You know, just in case we ever need him to look after Aiden and Michelle."

"You're hiring him to be my _assistant_, not a personal babysitter," Misty commented.

"Yes, but an assistant does what their boss needs them to do," Ash interjected. "If you need him to watch the twins, he'll do it for you."

Misty groaned and furrowed her brow. She really didn't want to have an assistant, but she knew that if she didn't get one, Ash would never shut up about it.

"Alright, fine," Misty sighed, putting her hands down in defeat. "Hire him, if only to make the kid feel good. Because I _really _don't need an assistant."

"You're not gonna regret this honey!" Ash beamed, giving Misty a giant kiss on the lips. "Trust me!"

Misty growled lowly and mumbled under her breath, "pain in the ass."

"I heard that! And _stop_ swearing!"

**XXX**

Misty couldn't help but to survey the young man standing right in front of her. He was supposed to become her assistant, after all. She had to make sure he was…acceptable.

Justin was a tall, somewhat muscular 20 year old. He had light brown hair, shaggy but not quite hanging in his bright hazel eyes. He was dressed rather neatly, and had a nice set of lips that seemed to be set in a permanent little smile. Misty actually found him rather cute.

"So…you're Justin," Misty began lamely.

"Yes ma'am," Justin replied, causing Misty's eyes to grow wide.

"Ma'am?" She repeated before shuttering. "Ugh, that makes me feel old. You can just call me Misty." Justin hedged a little bit. "Unless that makes you uncomfortable…"

"No, Misty is fine, if that's what you want me to call you," Justin smiled nervously. Misty felt bad. The poor boy seemed quite skittish. She wish she knew of a way to get him out of his shell, but her children were very extroverted. Misty didn't have much practice in coaxing shy people.

"Mommy!"

Misty looked over her shoulder and found Aiden racing towards her. He latched onto her leg, hugging it tightly as he looked up at her with adoring brown eyes.

"I'm busy right now sweetheart," Misty whispered. Justin, meanwhile, had averted his gaze down towards the little boy.

"But I wanna play with my cars," Aiden frowned, "and I need to use your belly as the hill!"

Misty's face flashed a very fierce shade of red. "Aiden…not right now…"

"Hey there little buddy," Justin greeted. Aiden's head snapped up, and he stared confusedly at this tall stranger. "You like playing cars?"

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded feverously. "And see, my Mommy's got a big tummy, 'cause there's a baby in there. I like to use it as the hill where the cars have to cross over!" If possible, Misty's face became even redder.

"Well, that sounds like fun," Justin grinned at the child. Aiden smiled and moved closer to Justin, causing Misty to gasp inwardly. Aiden wasn't always this receptive to people he didn't know. Justin seemed to be a miracle worker! Why, Aiden hadn't even attempted to kick any part of Justin's body!

"You're very good with kids," Misty noted aloud, nodding softly. Justin looked back up at her and smiled.

"Thanks. I'm the oldest in my family, so I'm used to it. If you ever needed, I could watch the twins for you."

Misty was about to say he didn't have to, but he really seemed like he'd be great with the twins. Maybe having a personal assistant wouldn't be so bad. She couldn't inform Ash of that, however.

"Would it be alright if you started working tomorrow?" Misty asked.

"Not at all," Justin beamed. "Whenever is fine for you."

"And you're obedient," Misty murmured so quietly that Justin hadn't taken notice. He was too busy talking to Aiden. "This could work out _very _nicely."

**XXX**

"Misty, I was just wondering when your next doctor's appointment is."

Misty looked up from her paperwork at Ash. She was sitting at the desk in her office, filling out forms for the league while Justin re-organized her cabinets.

"You have to ask this in front of Justin?" Misty asked quietly. "He doesn't want to hear about this stuff."

"Oh, I don't mind," Justin smiled at the pretty red head. "But, if you want me to leave, I will."

"No, you can stay here sweetie," Misty smiled at the young man. "Thank you though." Ash gaped at Misty, clearly offended that she had just called her assistant "sweetie." Misty, in turn, rolled her eyes and went back to her work. "Oh, get over it. I call _everyone _sweetie. Including gym challengers."

"Fine. But seriously, when is your next appointment?"

Misty sighed and put her pen down yet again. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"I…I want to know the gender," Ash frowned and jumped up and down a little, like a child. "I have to get started on the nursery and I want to know what we're having before I start."

"I told you we can just make it gender neutral," Misty shrugged. "I really don't mind. Besides, I didn't really want to do pink or blue this time anyway. And…you know that last time I went to the doctor, the baby was being difficult and wouldn't let us see what it was. Not for nothing, I haven't felt much movement recently. Not enough to indicate that it's turned, anyway. Just flutters."

"Could I…maybe suggest something?" Justin suddenly piped up. Ash turned to look at the younger man, and Misty simply grinned at him.

"Of course you may," Misty gave a little nod.

"Well, just judging by the way Misty is carrying," Justin explained, sounding rather knowledgeable on the subject, "I would go ahead and say she's having a girl."

"You think a girl?" Misty asked, somewhat in awe.

"Maybe that's true," Ash addressed Justin, "but my father's intuition is telling me it's a boy. What do you say, Misty?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I kind of think it's a boy. I mean, I've been feeling a lot of movements lately. Like…_a lot. _And when I was pregnant with the twins, Aiden was always the one bouncing around. Michelle just liked to stretch. So, just going by that, I think it's another boy. Aside from that, I'm just feeling boy. I've already had one or two dreams where the baby was a boy."

"See?" Ash beamed, "so…a boy!"

"No," Misty furrowed her brow, "that doesn't prove anything."

"So when's your next doctor's appointment?" Ash asked again, still bouncing on his heels.

"This Friday you two year old!" Misty snapped. Justin panicked slightly, the sudden shout causing him to drop a folder on the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry Justin. Excuse my hormones and idiot husband." Ash glared at Misty.

"It's quite alright," Justin smiled before returning to his work.

"So…Friday?" Ash sighed.

"That's what I said."

"Great! I'll make sure to clear my schedule for the day."

"Oh boy," Misty smirked, pressing a hand against the center of her stomach.

"Is it moving?" Ash smiled.

"Mmhm," Misty nodded. "It's still not enough to feel on the outside, though."

"You must be excited to feel the baby move, right Mr. Ketchum?" Justin asked spritingly.

"You can call me Ash," the Pokémon master smirked, "and yes, you'd be right. I can't wait! It's only a matter of time now, though. Misty said it's been getting stronger and stronger, almost every day."

"That's right," Misty nodded. "But you're not gonna' be able to feel your baby move if you don't get out of my office and let me finish this stupid paperwork."

_That_ was enough to send Ash running like a Rapidash.

**XXX**

Friday eventually came. It was _very_ slowly, but it came. Even Misty couldn't deny that she was excited by the prospect of finding out the baby's gender. She just wanted to start calling it he or she already.

"I just can't wait!" Ash squealed, rubbing his cheek against Misty's shoulder. The gym leader smiled and brushed her fingers against his cheek before leaning down to peck him on the cheek.

"Honey, I think _you _should be the one having this baby," Misty mused playfully. "You're always _so _excited at these appointments."

"If I could I would," Ash smiled at her. "You know that. But I'm just _so _excited to find out if it's a boy or a girl." Stopping to think for a moment, he pried, "you really think it's a boy?"

Misty grinned sheepishly before nodding her head and replying, "I do." Ash became visibly excited, even more so than before, and it prompted a playful eye roll from Misty. "What will you do if it's a girl?" Misty questioned, "You're not going to be disappointed, are you?"

"Of course not!" Ash grew slightly wide eyed at the inquiry. "You know how much I love Michelle. Another daughter would be very special. Yes, I would definitely have more in common with a boy. You know how close Aiden and I are. But Michelle _is _my little princess. So I'm happy either way."

Before Misty could respond, Dr. Aaron emerged, calling the couple back into the examination room. Ash pulled Misty up and practically down the hallway. She laughed the entire time, trying to free herself from Ash's grip.

"Ugh, you're too strong!" Misty giggled girlishly. Ash turned towards her and enveloped the gym leader's body into a hug, kissing the top of her head.

"You're still so thin everywhere," Ash murmured. "Except for your belly. That's getting nice and full."

Misty gave him a dissatisfied pout, to which Ash chuckled and gave her another delightful kiss.

"Well, I see that having another baby on the way has done nothing to hinder your relationship," Dr. Aaron's voice broke in, a teasing smile plastered on his face.

"Nope," Ash shook his head, his eyes shining as brightly as the moon. "It only makes me love her even more."

"Okay Romeo," Misty scoffed, gently flicking Ash's cheek. "You're going to make everyone physically ill with your lovey dovey nonsense."

"So today is try number two as far as finding out the gender is concerned," Dr. Aaron murmured as he checked over his charts. Looking up from the papers, he smirked at Ash and Misty and added, "This one is already a bit of a trouble maker, huh?"

"Yes, taking after his or her father," Misty patted her stomach, earning a gentle glare from Ash.

"Well, let's hope the little one is feeling a bit more cooperative today," Dr. Aaron chuckled, nodding towards the familiar examination table. "You know what to do, right Misty?"

"Of course," Misty smirked. "I've been through this enough times."

She climbed up onto the bench and pulled her shirt up, revealing her four months pregnant belly. Ash was drawn to it like a magnet, pressing sweet kisses all over the exposed flesh and tickling the sides, which caused Misty to giggle. Ash pulled away and grinned at his wife, who was now pink in the face.

"You've always been so ticklish," Ash cooed. "And it always seems so much worse when you're pregnant…"

"Please don't use that against me," Misty begged softly, with a playful quiver of her lower lip. In return, Ash laughed and leaned forward to give Misty a sweet, chaste kiss.

As soon as Ash moved, Misty felt the cold gel hit her skin, and she shivered visibly, even letting out a little shriek for effect.

"Gah!" Misty squealed, her hands tightening into fists for a quick moment before relaxing. "Yeah, I'll never get used to that."

Dr. Aaron smiled at the pretty gym leader and ran the wand over her stomach. The three all turned towards the screen, searching for the baby. Of course, Dr. Aaron was the first one to locate the unborn child.

"There it is," he smiled, pointing at the figure. "See how much bigger it is?"

"It _definitely_ looks like a baby now," Ash beamed, his eyes sparkling.

"So…what is it?" Misty asked hopefully. "Can you tell?"

Dr. Aaron squinted at the screen and stayed like that for quite some time. Ash and Misty exchanged concerned looks. Could their baby really not have moved at all?

"It's still not in a _great_ position," Dr. Aaron continued, "but…I _think_ I can see what it is…"

"Really?" Ash gasped. Misty grabbed for his hand, her eyes shining so brightly they looked like glass.

"Yes…" Dr. Aaron replied slowly, before giving a single nod. "Do you want to know?" The last part was supplemented by a devious little smirk.

"Of course we do!" Misty giggled. "Tell us! We've been waiting long enough."

"Alright." Dr. Aaron studied the screen again before announcing, "Well Misty, it looks like you're having a little boy."

"A boy?" Misty whispered. Ash gripped her shoulder rather tightly, earning a happy grin from the pretty gym leader.

"Well," Ash beamed, "time to start looking at boy's names!"

**XXX**

The couple returned home that afternoon to find Aiden and Michelle roaring with laughter as they chased after Justin, who had agreed to watch the twins. Misty smiled at the scene, feeling quite glad that Justin was so good with the children. It made her feel bad for not wanting his help at first.

"Hey you guys," Ash greeted merrily in order to announce his and Misty's return. Aiden and Michelle both looked up and shrieked excitedly, dashing over to their parents.

"Pick me up!" Michelle demanded, jumping up and down in front of Misty. The gym leader smiled and attempted to bend down, but Ash was quick to wrap an arm around her expanding waistline and pull her back up. In response, Michelle frowned sadly and began to sniff.

"I'm sorry baby," Ash sympathized, kneeling down to encircle the child in his arms and lift her up. "But Mommy isn't allowed to pick up you or Aiden right now. It isn't safe for the baby."

"Okay," Michelle sulked, resting her cheek on his chest.

"Did you guys find out what the baby is?" Aiden asked as he approached his parents, Justin closely following the young boy.

"As a matter of fact, we did," Misty smiled glowingly.

"Ooh, what is it, what is it?" Michelle suddenly cheered up in Ash's arms. She was squirming with excitement, her little lips bent into a ravishing smile. Aiden, meanwhile, was jumping up and down, jabbering on about what it could possibly be.

"It's a boy!" Ash announced proudly, the two children settling down to absorb the news.

"Aren't you two excited?" Misty inquired. "You're going to get a little brother!"

"Well, I kind of wanted a sister," Michelle frowned for a moment before her face became indifferent, "but I _guess_ a brother is okay too."

"What do you think Aiden?" Ash asked.

"That's good," Aiden nodded. Ash and Misty were a little concerned over the boy's lack of emotion on the subject. This apprehension was quickly dissolved, however, when Aiden scurried forward and placed a hand on Misty's knee and looked up curiously at the gym leader. "Can we play cars now?"

Misty scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "We should've known," the red head murmured as she glanced over at Ash, "he's just happy so long as he can keep using my belly as a plaything!"

**XXX**

"Mr. Ketchum!"

Ash spun around and knit his eyebrows. Justin was hurrying over to him, the younger male's hazel eyes glinting with something Ash quickly picked up on. He recognized it so easily as the look was one that often appeared in Ash's own eyes.

Determination.

"I told you it was alright to call me Ash," the Pokémon master tried to hold back a laugh. "And what's up, Justin?"

"There's something I'd like to ask of you, sir," Justin continued, his eyes lowering slightly.

"Sir?" Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "You're all about being proper, aren't you? No one's really called me that before."

"Does that make you feel old too?" Justin blinked. "Because your wife said being called 'ma'am' made her feel old."

"Well, Misty is Misty," Ash smirked. "You don't mess around with her. I, on the other hand, don't really care. You can call me whatever makes you comfortable."

"Uh…thank you…Ash," Justin replied, his face reflecting a sense of surprise.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, you see, I caught a new Pokémon not too long ago, and I really wanted to do some special training with him…"

"I see," Ash interrupted, a smirk appearing on his face. "You want to battle me."

"Oh," Justin was taken off guard again. "Yes, actually. But I understand if you don't have time."

"Of course I have time!" Ash clenched his hand in a sign of fortitude. "I'm the Pokémon master. It's my job to encourage trainers to keep on battling and trying their very best!"

"Wow, thanks so much!" Justin grinned, his hand reaching towards his belt to remove his chosen poke ball.

"So, what kind of Pokémon is it?" Ash asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity. He may have been nearly 27 years old, but when it came to Pokémon, Ash was still just a kid at heart.

"I'll show you," Justin replied as he pressed the poke ball's center button, "come on out little buddy!"

A blue light emanated from the sphere, travelling towards the ground and eventually materializing into a small, blue, dog like Pokémon with young, curious eyes and a happily wagging tail.

"Whoa, a Riolu?" Ash gasped.

"Yeah! I found him in the woods near my house."

"That's amazing, considering how hard it is to find Riolu in the wild," Ash mused brightly. "Was he hard to catch?"

"Yeah, he put up a pretty good fight," Justin smiled fondly at the thought. Riolu spun around and grinned happily at the young man, clapping his little paws together. "I can tell he's got lots of potential. We just need to do a lot of training, that's all. But he makes a really loyal partner, I can tell you that."

"Well, Riolu are well known for being faithful companions," Ash nodded. "Energetic and playful too. This one seems like he's got a jolly nature to him as well!" At this, Riolu hopped back around and yipped cheerfully.

"Wow, you sure do know a lot about Pokémon," Justin complimented Ash.

"It _is_ a big part of my job," Ash winked expressively. "So, ready to battle?"

"Sure am!" Justin replied confidently before looking around curiously. "But uh…where's _your_ Pokémon?"

"That's an easy one," Ash chuckled deftly. Glancing over his shoulder, he called "Pikachu! I need you!"

Within moments, Pikachu came scurrying over to his trainer, cheeks sparking dangerously with his beady black eyes narrowed in disdain. Both Justin and Riolu became slightly uneased by the electric type's defensive stance, which Ash relieved by laughing heartily.

"Ease up Pikachu," Ash smiled down at his partner, who in turn relaxed. "I'm not in any danger. I just need you for a battle, that's all."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried indignantly as he glared up at the master.

"I'm sorry buddy!" Ash apologized, holding his hands out in surrender. "I didn't mean to frighten you, okay?"

"Ka," Pikachu sighed before trotting ahead of Ash and standing in front of the trainer. He looked Riolu over, smirking at the emanation Pokémon. Riolu, in turn, squeaked softly and moved closer towards Justin.

"Hey, don't get intimidated little guy," Justin patted Riolu's head, "you'll be just fine! All you have to do is try your very best."

"Ri," Rilou yipped softly before shuffling forward nervously.

"Why don't you have the first move?" Ash suggested. "I'd like to see how strong Riolu is, and some of the moves he knows."

"Sure thing," Justin gave a single nod before calling, "Riolu, let's try quick attack!"

"Ri!" Rilou dashed forward at rapid speed, Pikachu's ears perking up into an alert stance.

"Dodge it Pikachu," Ash ordered calmly. Pikachu bobbed his tail in affirmation before sliding out of the way of Riolu's attack. The fighting type skidded to a halt, his little head whipping back and forth in bewilderment.

"It's okay Riolu," Justin assured. "Give force palm a try!"

"Lou?" Rilou gazed at Justin with a worried expression. The brown haired trainer hedged slightly, but soon smiled and encouraged Riolu to go on. Whimpering softly, the small Pokémon ran up to Pikachu and held his arm out, a ball of light green energy forming in the palm of his paw. Pikachu ground his teeth and prepared to jump out of the way, but all of that would soon prove unnecessary.

The sphere of light died out just as quickly as it had appeared, causing Riolu to squeak and frown at his paw.

"What happened?" Ash asked quietly.

"Well, Riolu just learned that move fairly recently," Justin explained. "I've been trying to help him get the hang of it, but so far, no luck."

"I see what the problem is," Ash replied after a moment of thought. He approached Riolu and knelt down in front of the emanation Pokémon, smiling at the panicked little thing. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, promise."

"Ri?" Riolu looked into Ash's bright russet eyes, his own red orbs sparkling with some sort of untraced emotion.

"You want to learn how to use force palm, don't you?" Ash inquired kindly. Riolu breathed out but quickly nodded his head, black mask protrusions swaying as he did so.

Glancing up at Justin, Ash began to clarify, "it's exactly what I thought from when I first saw him. Riolu is still just a baby. You're right in the fact he definitely does have a lot of potential. For now, it'll just take him a little longer to learn new attacks than most Pokémon, because he's so young."

"Oh, I get it now," Justin folded his arms. "That makes a lot of sense! Sorry about that Riolu. We'll take it slower from now on, okay?"

"Ri, ri!" Riolu cheered, his tail wagging blissfully.

"You're such a cutie," Ash cooed, brushing his fingers against Riolu's cheek much like he would to one of his children. Riolu sighed in contentedness before closing his eyes and grabbing onto Ash's wrist. The Pokémon master felt an electric surge travel up his arm, causing him to shut his eyes and groan in pain.

"Are you alright Ash?" Justin asked worriedly.

Ash took a few deep breaths and the pain soon subsided. He nodded slowly before opening his eyes and looking up at Justin with a smile to ensure the younger man he was alright. For some reason, however, that seemed to freak Justin out even more.

"Everything okay?" Ash posed curiously.

"Y…your eyes…" Justin stammered.

"What about them?"

"Th…they're…gl…glowing…"

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

Justin whipped out his cell phone and aimed the camera at Ash, snapping a picture. He knelt down next to the Pokémon master and showed him the screen. Ash gazed at the phone and gaped at his photo.

Indeed, his eyes were smoldering a bright, intense shade of blue.

"Crap," Ash muttered his breath, "the aura!"

"The what?" Justin turned towards Ash.

Ash sighed and began to collect his thoughts. He didn't really want to explain this to Justin, but it seemed that now he didn't have a choice. Justin wasn't going to believe that Ash's eyes glowing was simply nothing.

"Aura is something every human and Pokémon has," Ash began. "It's considered their essence. But some people and Pokémon's aura is stronger than others. Riolu's is stronger because they and Lucario are able to learn aura based attacks. Therefore, they're able to control the aura more forcefully than other Pokémon. As far as humans are concerned, their aura is stronger when they are direct descendents of people known as aura guardians."

"Aura guardians?" Justin repeated before his eyes grew wide in realization. "Does that mean…"

"I'm the descendent of an aura guardian," Ash finished for the shocked young man. "I could have been an aura guardian myself, if I'd chosen to focus on honing my power. But I didn't want to give up on my dream of becoming a Pokémon master. So I never took up the chance. I can still use my aura, though."

"So how did Riolu bring it out of you?"

"Well, like I said before, Riolu and Lucario can learn aura basked attacks. Their sense of aura is quite strong, so they're able to bring it out of people who have a strong aura."

"That's pretty amazing," Justin beamed. "Misty must love being married to someone with such a great power!"

Ash bit the inside of his cheek and looked away from Justin. Riolu sensed a disruption in Ash's aura and, frowning, removed his paw from Ash's wrist. The Pokémon master's eyes stopped glowing and returned to their normal chocolate brown color. Justin observed Ash's poignant expression and raised a curious eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked quietly.

Sighing, Ash raised his head and murmured, "Misty has no clue about any of this. She doesn't know I have these powers, and she doesn't even know what aura is."

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Justin whispered back.

Ash thought for a short moment before shaking his head.

"No."

**XXX**

"Well well, this _is_ an interesting development, now isn't it?"

A silver haired man chuckled as he gazed at the screen where Ash and Justin could be seen talking to one another. A younger, navy haired man looked up curiously at his counterpart, sky blue eyes glinting with perplexity.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Well, it's just as I thought. The Pokémon master has ties to the aura guardians."

"Yes. But what will you do with a grown man?"

"Nothing, of course." The silver haired man stood up and approached a switch board covered in various buttons and controls. He pressed a few, causing a three dimensional map to appear in midair. Chuckling quietly and mischievously, the sinister man examined the map as a bright blue marker appeared on the neon green grid.

"Then what is the point of all of this, Master Loki?"

Loki breathed out and turned towards his navy haired inferior. "Do you know, my dear Castor, that aura is an inherited trait?"

Castor glanced away for a moment before shaking his head. "No sir, I wasn't aware. What good does that do this, though?"

"Castor, just think about it," Loki sighed, flicking some other controls on the switch board. Two other markers appeared before the bright blue one; one red and one yellow. "A strong sense of aura is passed on from parent to child. The power of an aura guardian's descendents never dies."

Castor examined the two new markers and suddenly came to understanding. "You mean…"

"Yes," Loki grinned deviously. "The Pokémon master's children have aura as well."

* * *

><p><strong>That's right, I'm bringing the aura into this. I love the aura stuff, I find it really interesting. So let's see where this leads us, kay?<strong>

**So, I know this chapter, there was ALOT to take in. Any questions, thoughts, comments, just leave a review! I like to hear everyone's opinons. So, for now, you all just do that, keep rocking, and I'll see you all next time!**


	5. Mistakes and Lies

**I'm here people, I'm here! My goodness, this chapter took longer for me to finish than I'd expected. But it can't be helped, I got busy! What with school, hockey season starting again (AKA what my life revolves around from late September til late June), and I had to help pick out the new family car since I get to drive it! I found a lovely one that we all agreed on too. And it's chocolate colored! I wanted a pearly light blue but whatever. The chocolate is nice too :P**

**Besides, I had time to finish tonight, since the annual "meet the team" event scheduled for tomorrow was postponed. Stupid freaking mother nature...**

**OH, and a note about the aura! I know that in most cases people have different colors depending on their personality or whatever. But that would be a pain in the ass to remember everyone's color, and in the Pokemon anime everyone's aura is blue. Sooo that's what I'm sticking with.**

**Enjoy :P**

* * *

><p>"Good morning sugar baby!"<p>

Misty groaned quietly and opened her eyes, allowing the bright sunlight to infiltrate her still tired orbs. She moaned again and rubbed at her eyes, wondering why in the world Ash was talking to her in a baby voice.

"Ash, why can't you talk like an adult?" Misty grumbled as she attempted to roll over. Her efforts were proved futile, however, when she realized Ash was holding onto her. She tilted her head down and noticed Ash staring directly at her stomach, his nose just poking into the side. "What are you up to?"

"I'm talking to the baby," Ash replied without moving. He began babbling nonsensically again, causing Misty to roll her eyes and lean her head back. "Why are you asleep, sugar baby? Why don't you wake up and start kicking?"

"Why do you keep calling him sugar baby?" Misty asked in a fairly turned off tone.

"That's my nickname for him," Ash poked a finger at the four and a half month bump, "because he likes to make you eat all of that candy."

"Hey, I've been good!" Misty accused, a flash of anger darting through her emerald eyes. "I've barely eaten _any _sugar since that doctor's appointment two weeks ago! And I've stopped gaining weight so rapidly."

"Hmm, I'm proud of you," Ash smiled, pressing a kiss against her tummy. "Who knew you could actually listen to other people's suggestions?"

"Watch it Ketchum," Misty warned darkly.

"Sorry," Ash apologized. He took his hands off of Misty's ribs and pressed them against the sides of her stomach, soothingly rubbing his palms up and down. "Oh, I just want him to start kicking already! He doesn't seem like much of a mover, now does he?"

"I don't know, I can feel him moving around a lot," Misty began to run her fingers through Ash's tangled midnight hued locks. "But it isn't strong enough yet to feel it on the outside."

"Oh, you get to go to the doctor's again today, don't you?" Ash asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, I do. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am," Ash smiled, resting his cheek on the swell of her tummy. "I want to see our baby! He's obviously gotten a lot bigger since last time."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Uh…that he got bigger?"

"So what you're saying is I'm getting fat!" Misty accused. She sat up huffily, her eyes clouding over with tears. Ash sighed and sat up on his knees, crawling over to Misty.

"Babe, I did not call you fat," Ash wrapped his arms around her upper body. "I wouldn't think of it! You look beautiful; promise."

"You still love me?" Misty sniffed.

"Of course," Ash smiled, kissing her cheek. "More than ever, sweetheart."

**XXX**

"So…I think I like the name Andrew."

Misty flicked her eyes towards her husband, who was looking up towards the ceiling in the doctor's office in deep thought.

"Are you talking to me or to yourself?" Misty arched a delicate eyebrow.

"You," Ash grinned as he looked down at Misty. "What do you think?"

"Umm…I don't like it," Misty answered honestly. Ash frowned in response, so Misty was quick to explain her reasoning. "It'd be too many A's, Ash. Between you, and Aiden…I don't think I want all the boys in this family to have names starting with the same letter."

"Good point," Ash agreed with a small nod.

"Besides," Misty smirked, "people might give him a nickname; call him Drew. You don't really want _that_, now do you?"

In his mind, Ash pictured the green haired coordinator who May called her husband. The arrogant emerald eyes and the perfectly coifed grassy mop that he always flicked so condescendingly…

"_Really_ good point," Ash shivered, trying to shake the idea from his head.

"And I like the name Benjamin," Misty continued sweetly. "Ben for short. Isn't that just a darling little name?"

"It would be if you hadn't referred to it as darling," Ash scrunched his nose up. "No son of mine is going to have a name that can be considered darling."

"Fun ruiner," Misty huffed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Hey, I'm sure we'll find the perfect name for our little boy," Ash smiled as he rubbed Misty's belly. Just then the door to the examination room opened, startling Ash a little. Misty giggled in response and looked towards the door, although she was rather surprised by who came through the door.

"Excuse me," Misty piped up, "but…you're not Dr. Aaron."

The female doctor looked herself over and giggled. "No, I suppose I'm not! My name is Dr. Rolston. Dr. Aaron wasn't feeling well, so I'm taking over his appointments for the day."

"Oh, I see," Misty grinned at the physician and extended one of her hands. "I'm Misty Ketchum."

"Of course I know who you are!" Dr. Rolston beamed, although she took Misty's hand regardless. "You're the gym leader of this fine city, not to mention the wife of the Pokémon master."

"Yes, _that_ foolish little boy," Misty laughed, motioning her head towards Ash. He was standing in the corner of the room and looked a little surprised when Misty brought him into the conversation. And then it hit him that she'd called him a little boy.

"Not funny Misty," Ash sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. It was no use fighting the hormonal red head. He walked up to the doctor and offered his own hand, along with his signature lopsided smile. "Hi there."

The physician seemed a little star struck at first, but she quickly pulled herself together and shook his hand.

"I feel so lucky," Dr. Rolston chuckled as Ash drew himself back towards Misty, "getting to help a famous couple!"

"Well, I hope we don't disappoint then," Ash grinned at her. "We're kind of boring."

Dr. Rolston proceeded to give Misty her check up, and then instructed the gym leader to lie down and lift her shirt up for the ultrasound portion of the examination.

"Now, do you know the gender of your baby?" Dr. Rolston asked as she spread the gel across Misty's swollen midsection.

"Yes, we do," Misty answered as she looked down fondly at her tummy. Ash chuckled and leaned down to give Misty a kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush ever so slightly.

The doctor touched the wand to Misty's bulge and began running it back and forth. On the screen, which had flickered to life not too long ago, the baby soon appeared. Ash smiled at the sight of his unborn child. It had only been a few weeks, so the baby hadn't gotten _too _much bigger. He could actually see some noticeable differences, however.

"Judging from the last photos I saw," Dr. Rolston commented with a modest smile, "she's gotten a little bigger!"

"Aww," Misty cooed softly. Then, something about the doctor's remark made her look up with wide, shocked eyes. "Did you just say she…?"

"Yes," Dr. Rolston blinked confusedly, "I was talking about the baby…"

"But we're having a boy," Ash tilted his head.

"No, this is _definitely_ a baby girl," Dr. Rolston pointed at the screen. "I can tell for sure. See, she's facing the right way this time."

Misty looked at the screen, furrowed her brow, and rolled her eyes. The baby had, in fact, turned all the way around. He…no, _she_…was an awfully crafty little thing.

"A little baby girl," Misty finally spoke, her tone flooded with happy tears.

"Wow," Ash chuckled, his eyes sparkling once he set them on the image of his unborn daughter. "I'm sorry for calling her a boy the past two weeks!"

"I'm sure she doesn't mind," Misty smiled, her voice still shaking. Ash picked this up and leaned down to kiss her squarely and passionately on the lips. Misty reddened under the contact, which caused Dr. Rolston to giggle girlishly at the couple. "Ash…you're _so _embarrassing…" Misty mumbled, although the smile on her lips told a different story.

"Only because I love you," Ash rubbed under her chin.

"Well well, look what the baby is up to now!"

Ash and Misty turned their attention back to the screen, carefully studying the image of their little baby. Ash didn't understand what the doctor was talking about, but Misty picked up on it rather quickly.

"Is she sucking on her thumb?" Misty asked curiously.

"Yes, she is," Dr. Rolston nodded, pointing towards the baby's arm in order to show Ash what she'd meant. He clearly saw it at that point, which caused the Pokémon master to audibly "aww." Misty found that absolutely delectable.

"That's…really cute," Ash rubbed the back of his neck, a heavy blush forming on his cheeks. He didn't exactly like going soft in front of people; it just wasn't manly.

"Babies do lots of different things in the womb," Dr. Rolston explained with a smile. "This would definitely be one of them!"

"Adorable," Misty cooed quietly.

"Well then," Ash brushed his hair back, "she's taking after her Mommy!" The red tint re-appeared on Misty's face. Ash really was the sweetest husband in the entire world.

**XXX**

"Alright Vaporeon, now let's try aurora beam!"

"Vay!" The bubble jet Pokémon opened her mouth and unleashed a bright array of colors straight into the air. Misty smiled at her partner's feat, but that wasn't the end of her call.

"Excellent! Starmie, counter it with your thunderbolt!"

"Heya!" Starmie's red center jewel lit up before discharging bright yellow electricity, which instantly collided with Vaporeon's aurora beam. The two attacks, which were of equal strength, cancelled one another out and left an impressive cloud of smoke hanging in between the two platforms.

"That's incredible!" Justin complimented. The brunet boy was moping around the pool, although he'd also been observing Misty's training.

"Isn't it? I'm always so proud of my Pokémon," Misty gushed, her expression positively beaming. "And Starmie's new thunderbolt attack will really put challengers off guard."

"Being pregnant isn't going to stop you, now is it?" Justin asked with a little smile.

"Of course not," Misty patted her ever growing bump. "I'm not the kind of person who can just sit around and be a trophy wife. I've got a job to do, baby or not."

"You're probably the coolest person I've ever met, Misty," Justin chuckled, leaning on the top of the mop. "I like your resiliency."

"I'm happy to hear that," Misty replied blissfully. As soon as she finished her response, a sharp jab came from her midsection, causing Misty to emit a small gasp.

"Are you alright?" Justin inquired worriedly.

Misty looked down at her stomach and back up again before a wide smile grew on her face. She hurried off of her platform and over to Justin, grabbing the young man's wrist and pressing his hand against her swollen midsection.

"Just wait," Misty murmured excitedly, her eyes sparkling like emeralds.

Justin did as Misty told him, and after a few seconds, he felt a thrust against his palm. His eyes widened for a moment before they returned to normal size and he chuckled quietly.

"A kick," Justin smiled at Misty. "He's moving!"

"She," Misty corrected without thinking. She quickly caught on to what she'd said, and her expression turned to surprise.

"She?" Justin repeated. "Aren't you having a boy?"

"Um, I kind of forgot to mention this…" Misty blushed. "The doctor made a mistake on that last ultrasound. I'm actually having a girl; we found out this morning."

"Ah, I knew it!" Justin victoriously cheered. "I just _knew_ you were having a girl."

"Well, now you've got one up on my husband," Misty smirked, "and the doctor, in fact!"

"So how are Aiden and Michelle taking it?" Justin queried. "Must be weird to be all excited about having a brother and then finding out it's actually a sister."

"We haven't gotten to tell them yet," Misty twisted her mouth guiltily. "They're spending the day with Ash's mother. I'm actually a little afraid to tell them."

"How come?" Justin frowned.

"Aiden is just so lukewarm over the whole thing. We only got him to appreciate it through using my body as a play mat. And Michelle just gets kind of freaked out when things change. I don't really understand why, but she gets pretty antsy."

"I'm sure they'll be alright," Justin beamed at the gym leader. The short silence between the two was broken by the sound of a poke ball opening. Misty growled and looked over her shoulder, worrying that Psyduck had popped out of his sanctuary. When she didn't see the duck Pokémon, however, she simply turned around in bewilderment.

"Riolu, what are you doing?"

Misty looked down at Justin's feet and noticed the blue, dog like Pokémon standing next to him. He had set his big red eyes on Misty, who cooed in response.

"Aw, what a cutie!" Misty waved her fingers at the baby Riolu. "Hi there sweetie!"

"Ri, riolu!" Riolu clapped his paws together and moved closer to Misty.

"Oh, I just want to pet you," Misty smiled, kneeling down as best as she could. She held her hand out and rubbed the emanation Pokémon under his chin. Riolu whimpered happily and tilted his head up for more. "So, _so_ sweet! Justin, you're so lucky to have such a lovable Pokémon!"

"Ri," Riolu held one of his paws out towards Misty's stomach. The gym leader tilted her head, not quite understanding what the fighting type was doing. "Lou…" His paw began to glow a bright shade of blue, the brilliant hue soon spreading to Misty's midsection.

"Ow!" Misty cried, a small shock traveling through her body.

"Misty!" Justin gasped. He glared down at Riolu and prodded, "Riolu, did you just hurt her?"

"Ri, ri!" Riolu cried, shaking his head vigorously.

"No…I'm okay," Misty breathed, her eyes opening once again. "Just a momentary thing. And the baby is moving, so she must be okay too." Justin didn't respond, so Misty glanced up at him to see what the matter was. She noticed he was still staring down at her stomach, his mouth hanging wide open. "What's wrong, Justin?"

"Oh Arceus…" Justin whispered, his body remaining stiff.

Misty blinked and turned her attention back to her midsection. The sight caused the gym leader to shriek and become rather alarmed.

The deep blue glow was emitting from _inside_ of her stomach, shining so brightly that it could be seen on the outside. It flicked every now and again, but it didn't show any sign of going away.

"Wh…what's this?" Misty grabbed at her stomach.

"It's…it's…" Justin stammered. Misty gazed up at Justin. His hazel orbs were glazed over with concern, but Misty could see quite clearly that they weren't confused by what they were witnessing.

"Justin, do you know what's going on here?" Misty gaped, her body trembling rather violently.

"N…n…yes," Justin finally gave in. He never could lie, not even to his own parents. Misty frowned and studied the glow coming from within her again, a shiver going up her spine. She just wanted to know what the _hell _this was.

"Am I dying?" Misty shrieked. Tears were now flooding out of her eyes and running down her cheeks.

"Huh? No!" Justin cried, silently chastising himself for even allowing Misty to put that thought into her head. "You're not dying, Misty. It's…it's a power."

"A power?" Misty repeated incredulously, her tears only increasing with each passing moment.

"It's called aura," Justin explained quickly. "The baby inherited it from Ash. It's a really strong power. He's a descendent of an aura guardian!"

"I don't know what the hell aura is!" Misty yelled, jumping to her feet. With Riolu no longer in front of her bump, the glow disappeared. "And I don't care! Ash…did he _lie_ to me?"

Justin bit his lip nervously.

"Justin…did Ash lie to me?"

The young man looked over the gym leader and sighed inwardly. She looked awful; red in the face from all of her crying and screaming. He bit his lip and tried to think up a good response.

"Justin!" Misty cried, throwing her arms down to her sides as her hands balled into tight fists.

"He didn't necessarily _lie_ to you," Justin tried, "he said he was trying to protect you."

"From what?" Misty screeched.

"Misty, why are you freaking out?"

The red head spun around and found Ash standing in the doorway of the battle area, his eyes scanning over her in concern.

"You little…" Misty growled, stomping towards the Pokémon master. He instinctively began to back away, his hands flying up in front of him for protection.

"Misty, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You're a freaking _liar_, that's what's wrong!"

"Huh? What did I lie about, Mist?"

"What's this nonsense about aura?" Misty fumed, her face growing even more red. "What the hell is that? Why does it make our baby _glow?_"

"Wait…the baby was glowing?" Ash asked softly.

"Yes!"

"Blue?"

"Does it freaking matter? Yes blue!"

"Oh my God," Ash murmured. He knew strong aura was an inherited trait, but his baby being able to use it? Ash cooed under his breath and reached for Misty's stomach, but she was quick to smack his hand away. "Ow!"

"Don't touch me!" Misty barked, taking a step away from Ash. This frightened Ash greatly, who in turn could practically feel his heart being torn into two.

"Misty, I would never hurt you," Ash frowned, his chocolate brown eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "I only hid this from you because I wanted to protect you."

"How did you know the baby had it?" Misty asked through ground teeth. "Why didn't I? It's my baby too; I'm the one having it for Arceus' sake!"

"Because I didn't know the baby could use it," Ash answered quickly. "Really Misty, I didn't. I thought aura wouldn't show up in such a little thing, especially when she hasn't even been born yet."

"So what?" Misty's tone was more calm now, although anger was still bubbling on the surface. "Is she sick? Mutated? Where the hell did she get this from?"

"Me."

Misty searched Ash's face for some sign of a joke, but she couldn't find any. Huffing, she pulled her shoulders back and gently tilted her head, her brow furrowing even further. "You?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm the descendent of an aura guardian," Ash explained stoically. "That means that my aura is much stronger than other people's. Even some Pokémon. And it's hereditary. That I knew. But I didn't know that it could be accessed at such a young age."

"Does this mean Aiden and Michelle have it too?" Misty whispered, a certain fear flashing through her eyes.

"More than likely."

Misty's shoulders sagged before she let out a short, unhappy breath. "And I still don't even know what aura is. But I don't think I like it."

"Aura is the essence of every living creature," Ash explained, doling out the same elucidation he'd given to Justin. "So everyone's got it. Even you, Mist. But a long time ago, there used to be people known as aura guardians. They had such a great sense of aura that they were able to use it as a power; one strong enough to save the world. But an aura guardian's power never dies. It's passed on from generation to generation. So one of my ancestors was an aura guardian. I've hardly ever used it, though."

Misty whimpered quietly and moved into Ash, resting her head on his shoulder. Ash smiled, clearly glad that Misty was no longer upset with him. He wrapped his arms around her body and gently rocked her back and forth, leaving a sweet kiss on her temple.

"How'd you get the baby to use aura, though?" Ash asked curiously.

"Justin's Riolu," Misty answered quietly as she lifted her head. "He popped out of his poke ball and went crazy over my belly. I guess he sensed the…aura. Anyway, he held his paw out and it just started glowing."

"Hmm, we have such a great baby," Ash chuckled, playing with Misty's hair.

"So why did you want to protect me?" Misty pushed again. "Aura's not dangerous…is it?"

"No," Ash rejoined hesitantly. "Unless it falls into the wrong hands."

"Ash…" Misty breathed warningly.

"But you know I'm not bad," Ash smirked. "And the kids will _never _know about their aura, if I get my way."

"Mine as well," Misty agreed.

"So that's that," Ash grinned at the sheepish gym leader. "No more talking about aura. _Ever_ again."

**XXX**

"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!"

Ash and Misty grinned at their young daughter, who was sitting on the floor with a drawing pad on her lap and a box of colored pencils by her side.

"Are you drawing something baby girl?" Ash asked as he kneeled down next to the child.

"Yes," Michelle answered in a grown up tone. "I am."

"And what is it?" Ash chuckled.

"It's a surprise!" Michelle huffed, holding the pad away from her father. "No peeking!"

"Okay princess," Ash smirked.

"I mean it!" Michelle added fiercely.

Ash's eyes widened slightly as he stood back up and stared over his shoulder at Misty. "This kid is _so _you. What do you do? Give her "mini Misty" lessons or something?"

"No, she's just a perfect little angel," Misty teased as she ruffled Ash's raven hair, causing the Pokémon master to roll his eyes.

"Oh, there you two are!"

Ash and Misty looked towards the kitchen, where Delia was standing in the doorway with a glass and a rag. Aiden scurried up next to her, munching happily on a chocolate chip cookie.

"Hi!" Aiden greeted, his voice muffled.

"Aiden, sweetheart, don't talk with your mouth full," Misty scolded gently. "It isn't polite baby."

"Mom, you're letting him eat cookies before dinner?" Ash raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Just one," Delia reasoned before perking up. "Besides, he deserved it! He's been so good all day."

"You never let _me_ eat cookies before dinner!" Ash pouted.

"Well Aiden is my grandson," Delia smirked. "It's my job to spoil him of course! The same goes for Michelle and my new little grandson!"

Misty blinked confusedly before realizing that Delia was looking towards her stomach. _Oh crap._

"And where did Michelle get the sketchbook from?" Ash queried. Misty lightly bent her brow, surprised that Ash hadn't caught what Delia had said.

"Oh, Tracey just came by before to drop something off from Professor Oak," Delia answered brightly. "He saw that Aiden and Michelle were here and he just got so excited to see his niece and nephew! Michelle was just babbling on about how much she loves to make artwork for the two of you, so Tracey gave her the extra sketch pad he had with him. I just found the colored pencils somewhere in the attic."

"She does seem to be having a lot of fun," Ash smiled and looked down at Aiden. "So what did you do all day, buddy? Grandma said you were good!"

"I was," Aiden nodded affirmatively.

"He helped me cook!" Delia giggled. "I was a bit surprised he wanted to, but then I realized he kept sneaking ingredients to eat!"

"That's not being good son," Ash snickered.

"I was just hungry," Aiden sulked.

"So you're all staying for dinner," Delia asserted, causing Ash and Misty to laugh. "I feel like I haven't had a good talk with either of you in quite some time."

"Sounds good," Ash nodded, "I could use some of your cooking Mom!"

"It's not a problem at all!" Delia trilled. She looked towards her daughter in law and continued, "So Misty, how was that doctor's appointment this morning? Is my grandson thriving?"

"It went well," Misty blushed slightly, "but…we kind of have some news for you."

"News?" Delia sounded rather concerned.

"Are you sick Mommy?" Michelle called from the other room, her emerald eyes finally being directed away from the drawing she'd been working so hard on.

"No, it isn't anything bad," Misty smiled softly. "It's just…well…the doctor made a mistake on the last ultrasound. I'm actually having a girl."

"Oh my goodness!" Delia covered her heart as a wide smile overtook her face. "Another granddaughter! How wonderful! I'm going to have to scrap everything I've been working on and restart it with girl colors! And I'll get to make some more adorable dresses like I made for Michelle!"

"Well, Mom's happy," Ash chuckled.

"A sister?" Aiden squeaked. "Not a brother?"

"That's right buddy," Ash smiled gently. "You're not upset…are you?"

Aiden shook his head expressionlessly. Michelle came scurrying up next to him, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I get a sister?" Michelle squealed, gleefully shaking her hands back and forth.

"Yes, you do," Misty giggled, drawing some red hair behind her ear.

"Good, now we can put this picture in her room," Michelle commented as she retrieved her sketch pad. She held the page up for everyone to see the pink Squirtle she had drawn. "I knew it was a boy, but I wanted a sister, so I just made it pink."

"But sweetheart, what if the doctor had been right?" Ash tilted his head. "What would you do with a drawing of a _pink_ Squirtle?"

"Still put it in his room," Michelle answered as though it were obvious. "I wouldn't care. _I_ drew it, so _everyone_ is going to see it. He would have just had to live with it!"

"What did I say?" Ash glanced towards his wife. "Mini Misty."

* * *

><p><strong>That's right, the doctor screwed up. It happens people. They thought I was going to be a boy, and I'm the FARTHEST thing from a boy (aside from the love of watching sports okay? :P) So yay, baby girl :P<strong>

**Hopefully I can get the next chapter up later this week, considering I only have 3 days of school. Yay Rosh Hashanah, I get awesome food ^^**

**I'm glad everyone likes the story so far. Hopefully I can keep you all entertained!**


	6. Bad News Baby

**Oooh look, I updated the story when I said I would! Awesome! I really find it amazing that I find time to write with all of this senior nonsense going on. I mean...it's so hard looking for colleges. I need to find the perfect place, with my desired major (which is not a common one to find...), and a good dance team or cheerleading squad. Makes me tired.**

**But see, it hasn't slowed me down! I'm proud of myself, actually. Yay for shameless self pride :P**

**This chapter introduces some fun drama. Yay!**

* * *

><p>"Aiden, STOP!"<p>

"I'm not doing anything!"

"You're kicking me!"

"I am not."

"Yes you are!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE…"

"Would you two be quiet?" Misty finally snapped. The young children gave their mother startled looks, their eyes wide with shock. The three of them were all sitting at the kitchen table, busily eating breakfast when the argument broke out. At least the twins were. Their mother had no appetite, strangely enough.

Misty groaned softly and gave the two a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling too well, and I'd really like it if you guys could just get along for now. Okay?"

Aiden and Michelle nodded slowly. Misty breathed out deeply and leaned back in her chair as she closed her eyes.

"Are you okay Mommy?" Michelle asked worriedly. She knew that lately her mother had been very tired, and had come to expect it. But Misty looked a lot worse than usual.

"I'm alright sweetheart. I just need to take it easy is all."

"Are you sure?" Aiden squeaked, "You look paled."

"You mean pale," Misty giggled sweetly, "and that's how I always look dear."

"But you look more paler than usual," Aiden noted. Misty smiled sheepishly, not feeling in the mood to correct her son's improper speech.

"You both worry too much," Misty shook her head, "just like Daddy."

"You better not be lying," Michelle pouted.

"Everything is just fine," Misty soothed, "I promise."

As Aiden and Michelle continued to cast their mother nervous glances, a loud ringing noise filled the air, causing the two concerned children to jump slightly. Misty raised her eyebrow and looked down at her belt, where her cell phone was going off. She took it off her waist and stared at the screen, whining softly when she read the message.

"Who is it?" Aiden tilted his head.

"It's not a call," Misty sighed, "it's the gym alert. There's a challenger waiting for me."

"You can't battle Mommy!" Michelle jumped off of her chair.

"I have to princess," Misty frowned, "it's my job."

"But you're sick," Michelle hurried over to Misty, hugging her legs tightly, "don't go."

"Michelle," Misty sighed, touching the young girl's head as she stood up.

"I mean it!" Michelle shrieked, squeezing her mother's legs even tighter.

"Sweetheart you have to let me go," Misty breathed, mindlessly rubbing her swollen stomach.

"We don't want you to get hurt, Mommy," Aiden sulked.

"I'm not going to get hurt," Misty tried to pacify her two upset children, but it certainly didn't seem to be working. Aiden was still frowning deeply, and Michelle was now whimpering into Misty's knees. "Michelle, look at me."

The little red head sniffed and hesitantly raised her eyes from Misty's legs. Misty smiled and kneeled down, nearly losing her balance as she did so. Michelle panicked silently, and Aiden leapt off his chair. Misty was able to steady herself, however, and grinned yet again to prove that she was just fine.

"Aiden, Michelle," Misty began, "you have to believe me when I say I'm okay. I know I've been complaining a little bit too much lately, and it's probably been scaring you. But this is completely normal. You're _supposed _to be tired when you're having a baby."

"But you didn't eat either," Aiden folded his arms.

"I'll take a little snack with me, if that'll make you feel better," Misty tried.

"Don't go at all!" Michelle cried softly.

"Michelle, I've already told you that I have to go battle. It's my job, and the league expects me to do it."

"But…" Michelle quaked. Misty's phone went off again, interrupting whatever her little daughter had in mind. Misty gazed at the screen again, huffing as she slowly stood up. She winced once she was up on her feet; she felt so light headed.

"Mommy," Aiden scolded lightly.

"Guys, I really have to go. This poor trainer has been waiting for me long enough."

"Fine," Michelle furrowed her brow, "go."

"Thank you," Misty sighed, although she knew the girl was anything but happy with the decision, "I'll call Brock to come over and watch you two while I battle. He's visiting the Cerulean City Pokémon center, so he should be right over. Behave until then, okay? And don't go outside on your own."

Aiden and Michelle watched after their mother as she opened the front door and skirted outdoors.

"We're not staying here," Michelle turned to her brother once she was positive Misty was gone.

"Mommy said to stay here," Aiden disagreed.

"All of a sudden you want to behave?" Michelle asked incredulously, her voice laced with the slightest hint of anger.

"Why're you bein' so bossy about this?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Because I'm scared," Michelle hiccupped ever so slightly; evidence that she was about to cry again. "I love Mommy, and I don't want her to get hurt!"

"But she said she was okay," Aiden attempted to comfort his sister.

"No, she's lying, I know it!" Michelle shook her head quickly, "if Daddy was home and saw her doing this, he'd be so upset! Didn't Daddy tell you to watch me and Mommy when he wasn't home?"

"Yeah…"

"So come on!" Michelle yelled, her small hands tightening into fists. Aiden recoiled slightly as Michelle growled lowly. Sometimes, she acted _way _too much like Misty.

"Okay, okay!" Aiden nervously waved his hands in front of himself, "let's go!" He, on the other hand, was much more like Ash: reluctantly willing to do whatever his red headed counterpart wanted to avoid being beat up.

Michelle snatched Aiden's hand, yanking her twin brother out the door and across the strip of sun drenched grass that led to the Cerulean City gym. She stood up on her tippy toes and pushed the door open, holding it back for Aiden to scamper in first. She followed after the raven haired boy, who was now marching towards the battle area.

When the two leaned into the doorway, they found Misty's back facing them, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She seemed to still be instructing her young opponent on the rules of the gym. Aiden and Michelle then turned their attention to the challenger: an adolescent girl with golden blonde hair that reached her mid back and violet colored eyes. She nervously tugged at the skirt of her lavender dress, keeping her large eyes locked on Misty. They kept shifting, the twins quickly noticed, between the gym leader's face and her midsection.

"Why's she doin' that?" Michelle glanced at Aiden.

"Have _you _ever heard of a gym leader havin' a baby before Mommy?" Aiden replied, "It's kinda rare."

"I guess so," Michelle shrugged, looking back through the door frame.

By now, the young girl was nodding and retrieving a poke ball, tossing it to reveal a jovial Bulbasaur.

"Wow, that must be her starter Pokémon!" Aiden cheered quietly. It wasn't very often the two got to watch their mother battle, and Aiden was certainly going to enjoy it. Michelle, however, had different matters on her mind.

"Aiden, we're supposed to be looking after Mommy," Michelle hissed.

"I am," Aiden frowned, "but I can watch the battle at the same time!"

"Fine," Michelle sighed. It was hard to get her brother off of his one track mind.

"Look!" Aiden pointed excitedly, "Mommy is using Azumarill!" Michelle smiled lightly at the sight of the aqua rabbit Pokémon. She loved Azumarill.

"Mommy doesn't have the advantage," Aiden continued slowly, thinking back to all the things his father had taught him so far, "grass types like Bulbasaur are strong against water types."

"Mommy can still win," Michelle responded with a smirk, "she's the best."

"You can have the first move!" Misty called out to her challenger, who had introduced herself as Rosangela. As the girl nodded, Misty felt a wave of light headedness overtake her. What was up with her?

"Uh, okay Bulbasaur, use vine whip!" Rosangela ordered somewhat shyly.

"Bulba!" The grass type unleashed a pair of dark green vines and sent them out towards Azumarill.

"Azumarill, use water gun," Misty commanded softly. Azumarill twitched her ears and turned to look at Misty, giving her trainer a confused look. Misty raised an eyebrow to indicate that she had meant what she'd said. Blinking, Azumarill turned back around and spit out a weak stream of water.

"Hey, that isn't Azumarill's full power," Aiden looked over at Michelle, "why is she only using half her strength?"

"Because of how Mommy ordered the attack," Michelle answered slowly, "she didn't call the move very strongly either."

"Bulbasaur, dodge it!" Rosangela called. The seed Pokémon quickly jumped to the side, easily avoiding Azumarill's weakly executed attack. "Awesome!" Rosangela cheered, clearly becoming more confident in her ability, "now Bulbasaur, use leech seed!"

"Saur!" A white light began to glow from the middle of Bulbasaur's bulb, which the grass type soon sent flying at Azumarill. Misty breathed out sharply, trying to think of an attack to call. But her reaction time was severely off.

The dark brown seed planted itself atop Azumarill's head, soon sprouting several creepers of leafy vines that wrapped themselves around Azumarill. The water rabbit cried out desperately, and Misty continued to wrack her brain for a response. But for whatever reason, Misty couldn't remember any of Azumarill's attacks.

"What is Mommy doing?" Aiden gasped, "She needs to call an attack!" Michelle simply furrowed her brow as Misty began to rub her temples. Clearly, something was very wrong with the gym leader.

"Uh…" Misty winced, trying her best to come up with a move. Azumarill's cries became louder as the vines began to glow a deep red, quickly sucking up the water type's energy. Finally remembering one of her Pokémon's attacks, Misty opened her mouth to make her command, but it was too late. When she looked down again, she saw Azumarill lying on her platform, completely unconscious.

"Well, look at that," Misty smiled tiredly at the challenger, "you won."

"I…I did?" Rosangela blinked, pointing at herself.

"Yes, you did!" Misty's grin broadened as she recalled Azumarill, "great work!" She reached into her pocket and retrieved a water drop shaped symbol, holding the emblem in her palm as she walked over to the girl.

"Wait, that's it?" Aiden leaned back, "that was only a one on one battle! Mommy usually has two on twos!"

"Exactly," Michelle groaned, "don't you get it? She's feeling too sick to do more than one battle!"

"This is the cascade badge," Misty held the small blue shape out to Rosangela, "take it as proof of your victory!"

"Wow," Rosangela beamed, gently taking the badge from Misty. She held it up to the light to examine it, and as she did, a huge smile broke out on the young blonde's face. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it sweetheart," Misty replied softly, "you deserved it."

After thanking Misty yet again, Rosangela skipped out of the battle area, Bulbasaur skipping happily by her side. Once Misty was sure the trainer was gone, she permitted herself to groan and hold onto her head.

"Is she okay?" Aiden whispered quietly. Once again, Michelle said nothing.

"Why do I feel like this?" Misty mumbled, taking in a deep breath. Closing her eyes for a moment, Misty began to think: _I'm just tired, that's all. I'll just take a little nap when I get back home. Oh, but the house is such a mess. I should really clean it. Okay, I can do that and _then _take a rest. But Aiden and Michelle need to be played with. Maybe I can sweet talk Brock into watching them for a little while longer. But I want to spend time with them. And then I have to make dinner…forget the nap. It's not important._

When Misty went to take a step, however, her legs gave out from underneath her, and she fell with a shriek. Fortunately, she was able to throw her hands out in front of herself, and she landed firmly on her palms.

"Mommy!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously, racing out towards their fallen mother.

"Uh…Aiden, Michelle," Misty gasped, "what are you two doing here? I told you to stay in the house!" Misty looked up frantically at her two young children, but she was so lightheaded, they looked like nothing but a blur to her.

"It was Michelle's idea!" Aiden yelped, pointing an accusatory finger at his red headed sister.

"I was just worried about you Mommy," Michelle whimpered, "please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad baby," Misty winced, "it's okay."

"Maybe we should see if Brock is waiting at the house," Aiden looked back at Michelle, "he could help Mommy!"

"Good idea," Michelle nodded, "you go. I wanna stay here with Mommy."

"I'll be okay Shelly," Misty comforted as she sat up on her knees, "why don't you go with Aiden?"

"No," Michelle shook her head.

"Come on Michelle," Aiden tried.

"No!" Michelle answered more firmly this time as she sat herself down in front of Misty, "I'm staying with Mommy."

"Okay," Aiden shrugged, running back out the doorway. Misty sighed and looked down at her young daughter, who now had tears running down her face.

"Michelle, sweetheart, why are you crying?" Misty asked softly, reaching out for the young girl.

"Please be okay Mommy," Michelle looked up at Misty, her emerald eyes overflowing with water. Misty gasped quietly, and she could feel her heart being torn in half. Her poor daughter was _so _worried about her. Misty knew that, but she had ignored it. She knew the battle hadn't helped with whatever was going on with her, and Michelle had warned her it was a bad idea. But Misty hadn't listened. She had gotten selfish. Her five year old daughter knew better than her.

"Please be okay," Michelle repeated, her sobs becoming heavier. She crawled closer to Misty, resting her cheek on her mother's rounded stomach.

"Shh," Misty hushed, stroking the child's ginger tresses, "don't cry princess. I'm going to be just fine. Please don't be upset."

No matter how much Misty pleaded and soothed, however, Michelle wouldn't stop crying. As the gym leader continued to try and pacify her daughter, a white light flashed from her belt, forming itself by her side as Psyduck.

"Psy?" The duck Pokémon inquired, tilting his head to the right.

"Ugh, Psyduck!" Misty groaned, "The last thing I need to deal with right now is you!"

Michelle sniffed and picked her head up, staring innocently at the yellow Pokémon sitting next to her mother. Psyduck turned to look at Michelle, blinking confusedly when he saw the remaining tears slipping out of the child's bright eyes.

"Duck?" Psyduck began to waddle towards Michelle. She didn't bother to move, and the water type was soon standing up on the tips of his webbed feet, poking the edge of his beak against Michelle's nose. There was a short moment of quiet, lasting for only about a second. And then Michelle giggled.

Misty breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw the tiny smile appear on her daughter's face. Michelle continued to laugh happily as Psyduck gently knocked his beak against the tip of her nose, and she soon began to pat the duck Pokémon's head.

_Well, what do you know? _Misty thought laughingly, _Psyduck's done good for once!_

"Misty!"

The gym leader looked up, and Michelle turned her head to look as well. Psyduck just continued poking mindlessly at Michelle. Brock, the source of the voice, came running into the battle area, Aiden following closely behind.

"There you are," Misty sounded quite relieved.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Brock frowned, "Aiden caught me walking up the road. It took me longer at the Pokémon Center than I thought it would." He knelt down in front of Misty, and realizing she was in the way, Michelle crawled over to Misty's side, pulling Psyduck over by his wing.

"Tell me what happened," Brock requested, pressing his fingers against Misty's wrist.

"I'm fine now," Misty began, "I just got a little light headed before. I woke up not feeling great, but I'm okay now."

"How long have you been feeling lightheaded?" Brock asked, now compressing his palm against Misty's forehead.

"Just this morning," Misty furrowed her brow, "can I get up now? I need to do some cleaning."

"Mommy!" Michelle whined, grabbing her mother's hand. Misty smiled reassuringly at the little girl, but she didn't look convinced.

"You're not doing _anything,_" Brock responded firmly as he removed his hand from Misty's head, "I'm bringing you back to the house and putting you in bed."

"But Brock…" Misty tried.

"No buts!" Brock folded his arms, "Ash would absolutely _kill _me if I let anything happen to you. Until he gets home, I'm watching after you."

"Brock!" Misty moaned. The darker man shook his head and picked Misty up with ease, holding the disgruntled red head in a bridal fashion.

"Huh?" Brock raised an eyebrow when he noticed Psyduck standing next to Michelle, "Misty, don't you want to recall Psyduck?"

Misty stopped grumbling and looked down at her young daughter, who was still holding Psyduck's wing. Giggling, she responded, "no. He's keeping Michelle company."

Aiden blinked curiously and walked over to where Michelle was standing with the water type. Psyduck, in turn, began to peck gently at Aiden's feet, causing the young boy to now chuckle.

"You realize I'm going to have to call Ash, right?" Brock's voice caused Misty to look away from the sweet scene between her two children and her dopy Pokémon.

"No you don't," Misty grew wide eyed.

"Yes I do," Brock held onto her firmly as he walked out of the gym, the twins and Psyduck following closely behind, "he needs to know what's up."

"Nothing's up," Misty rolled her eyes, "I'll be better in no time! You just watch. I'll be back on my feet by tomorrow. I could be on them by this afternoon if you'd let me."

"But I won't," Brock sighed.

"Don't freak Ash out," Misty groaned, tilting her head backwards in exasperation, "he's way too over protective, and he'll come racing home if he thinks I'm dying."

"I'll be able to convince him that everything is okay," Brock assured, "but I've got to call him."

"Ugh, fine," Misty sighed, "good luck with that."

"And what were you doing in the gym alone?" Brock furrowed his brow. "Where's Justin? Isn't he supposed to kind of make sure you're okay?"

"I gave him the day off today," Misty replied. "He's my assistant, not my slave. His life doesn't belong to me and this gym, you know."

After getting into the house, Brock carried Misty up the stairs and dropped her off gently on her and Ash's bed.

"Get comfortable," Brock ordered playfully, before adding seriously, "you're gonna be here for awhile."

"Am not," Misty stuck her tongue out at him. Aiden hopped up onto the bed, crawling close to Misty and snuggling up against her side. "Hey there baby boy," she giggled, kissing her son's forehead.

"Mom!" Aiden yelped, furiously rubbing at the spot. Misty couldn't help but to laugh heartily. More often than not, Aiden despised kisses, and was quick to wipe them away. He also only called her 'Mom' when he was aggravated. Still laughing, Misty hugged the boy more tightly, which he was more than happy to reciprocate.

"Mommy…" a little voice called from the floor.

"What is it Shelly?" Misty asked with a little trill in her voice. She watched amusedly as Michelle pulled herself up on the side of the bed, pressing down on the mattress.

"I wanna come up here and sit with you too," she frowned.

"So come here!" Misty patted the free spot on her other side, "do you need help?"

Michelle shook her head before continuing, "Psyduck can't get up here. And he's too heavy for me to pick up."

"Psy…" Psyduck droned from the ground.

"Oh boy," Misty chuckled nervously, "Michelle, sweetheart, I don't think we should bring Psyduck up on the bed."

"Why not?" Michelle tilted her head.

"Duck…duck…"

"I think that's why," Brock turned around, hooting joyfully. Misty gazed down at the ground, closer to Brock, and an un-amused look appeared on her face. Psyduck was now waddling towards the bedroom door, trying to get out of the room.

"Alright Psyduck, I don't need any more trouble in this house," Misty sighed, retrieving the duck Pokémon's poke ball from her belt, "return." She pressed the center button and a red light shot out, returning the water type into the sanctuary of his red and white sphere.

"I'm going to call Ash now," Brock informed Misty as he stepped into the hallway. Misty rolled her eyes yet again and leaned back against the head board.

"Mommy, why doesn't Daddy stay home and take care of you?" Michelle asked, leaning her head against Misty's shoulder.

"Because he's got a job too," Misty smiled, "you know he's the Pokémon master."

"I know," Michelle pressed her fingers together, "but can't he skip work whenever he wants?"

"Yeah, can't you do that too?" Aiden tilted his head.

"Well, I suppose we can," Misty mused, "but it's a very bad idea for us to do that right now."

"But why?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Daddy and I get paid for doing our jobs. And we need money to take care of everyone, especially with this baby on the way. We can't afford to miss any time away from work."

"Even though you don't feel well?" Aiden frowned.

"Well, once I get really close to having the baby, I won't be able to run the gym," Misty ruffled the boy's hair, "I get some time off for that. But until then, I need to stick it out and do my job."

Suddenly, Michelle let out a tiny yawn, and her eyelids began to fall. Misty giggled softly and began to run her hand down the back of the young girl's head.

"I think someone is tired," she cooed sweetly.

"No," Michelle shook her head, although her eyes continued to close. She yawned again and snuggled closer into Misty, resting a little hand on the woman's enlarged midsection. Watching his sister slip into a restful state soon made Aiden grow sleepy as well.

"Why don't you take a nap too, sweetie?" Misty asked kindly.

"I don't wanna," Aiden yawned, looking up at his mother with determined eyes. Misty laughed inwardly. The boy really was _way _too much like Ash.

"Don't make me sing the lullaby," Misty warned in a light voice. But Aiden kept his steel expression. Smirking, and without any other warning, Misty began to sing the sweet song that she had sung to the twins since before they were born; the same exact one her mother had sung to her as a child.

Aiden tried to fight the sleepy feeling overtaking him, but it was no use. His mother's voice was far too buoyant, too angelic. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, snoring lightly against Misty's chest.

As Misty was busy enjoying her time with her two sleeping children, Brock was down in the kitchen, carrying on a tense telephone conversation with the gym leader's worrisome husband.

"What do you mean she _almost _fainted?" He demanded, his dark brown eyes livid.

"She said she was lightheaded," Brock explained calmly, "and she fell. Not on her head or stomach or anything. She landed on her hands."

"I'm coming home…"

"You don't need to," Brock interrupted, "I brought her back home, and put her in bed. I'm going to stay here and take care of her and the twins until you get home."

"Brock, I can't just sit around the league property and train all day when my wife is suffering like this," Ash shook his head, "I've got to come home."

"If you do, Misty is going to kill you," Brock warned.

"I know that," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"So you want to work her up even more?"

Ash took in a sharp breath, before breathing out sadly. "No, I don't."

"Exactly," Brock nodded, "just leave it up to me."

"Can you at least do me _one _favor?" Ash requested.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Call the doctor. His number is written on a piece of paper right near the phone. I want you to call him and ask what to do with Misty."

"Ash…"

"Come on Brock," Ash pouted, "please?"

"Fine," Brock sighed, "I'll do it. But I'm telling you, he's probably not going to say much."

"I just want to make sure," Ash shrugged, "thanks Brocko."

"No problem," Brock smirked playfully, "now get back to training."

"Yes Misty," Ash teased, chuckling amusedly along with Brock before ending the connection.

Brock looked around the surface of the desk where the phone was located, searching for the phone number of this doctor. He finally locked eyes on a small square of green paper, noting that the name 'Dr. Aaron' was scribbled on it, along with a phone number.

"This must be it," Brock mumbled to himself as he picked up the note.

Dialing the number, he drummed his fingers against the wooden desk as he waited for the recipient of the call to pick up. He glanced up at a framed photo of Ash and Misty, taken back when they were somewhat younger than they were now. He wasn't sure if it was before or after their marriage, but either way, it was before Aiden and Michelle had been born. Brock couldn't help but to smile at the picture. The two were just perfect for one another.

"Hello?"

Brock whipped his head back down to look at the video screen. He found himself staring at a fairly young looking man, with light brown hair and golden eyes.

"Oh. Uh…hello, Dr. Aaron is it?" Brock greeted nervously.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Brock, I'm a close friend of Ash and Misty Ketchum's."

"Ah, of course you are!" Dr. Aaron grinned, "I remember now. You're their twins' godfather."

"Yeah, that's right!" Brock grinned happily.

"Well then, what can I do for you Brock?"

"Well, you see, Misty called me over to watch Aiden and Michelle for her while she battled in the gym. But all morning, she'd been experiencing light headedness, and chose to ignore it. After the battle, she nearly fainted."

"Oh no, I should've _known_ she would do this to herself," the doctor groaned, burying his head in his hands.

"Do what doctor?" Brock asked curiously.

"It's nothing _too _serious," Dr. Aaron sighed, "but I can tell you without even examining her that Misty has overworked herself."

"That would make sense," Brock nodded.

"She's going to need to go on bed rest," the doctor mused.

"What?" Brock gasped.

"Oh, it's not a permanent thing," Dr. Aaron waved his hands reassuringly, "just for about a week or so. But I do want her out of the gym for at least two weeks."

"Oh man, how am I gonna break this to her?" Brock whined.

"I'm sure she'll understand," the doctor tried. It was evident in his voice, however, that he pretty much knew for a fact that Misty would not be amused.

"I'll see what I can do," Brock gave the man a little nod, "thank you doctor."

"Don't mention it," Dr. Aaron smiled weakly, and the connection broke off.

Sighing deeply, Brock rested his head in his hands and mumbled to himself, "what am I gonna do? I have to tell her…" Breathing out again, Brock stood up and walked towards the stairs, his dread growing with each step he climbed. Misty was going to go ballistic, he just knew it. As he slowly opened the bedroom door, however, Brock gasped quietly at the scene before him.

Aiden and Michelle were both cuddled up against their mother, fast asleep. In the middle, Misty was asleep as well, breathing gently with her arms wrapped around the two small children.

Brock stepped away from the door, smiling for two reasons: one, the sight was absolutely adorable. And two, because he wouldn't have to break the news to Misty.

**XXX**

When Misty's eyes fluttered open, she was surprised to find it was night time. Aiden and Michelle were no longer by her sides either. And when she looked straight up, she found herself staring directly into a pair of shining russet eyes.

"Mmm…Ash?" She mumbled sleepily, yawning as she reached up for his face.

"Hey sleeping beauty," Ash chuckled, gently touching Misty's delicate hand, "finally decided to wake up, huh?"

"Yeah…" Misty breathed out softly as she sat up, "what time is it?"

"Almost eight," Ash smiled sweetly.

"You're telling me I just slept for nearly ten hours?" Misty panicked, "that means there was no dinner! Aiden and Michelle! The poor things must be starving!"

"Misty, calm down," Ash gently gripped her shoulders, "Brock made us dinner."

"He…he did?" Misty blinked.

"Mhmm," Ash nodded.

"Oh," Misty looked down. After a second, she gasped and looked back up at Ash, who had an eyebrow raised. "Aiden and Michelle aren't scared, right?"

"No," Ash shook his head, "they knew you were just sleeping."

Misty whined softly and lay back down, staring up at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"You okay?" Ash inquired, gently rubbing her stomach.

"I feel alright," Misty responded slowly, "but I think there's something you're not telling me."

"Huh?" Ash looked taken back, "what do you mean?"

"There's something…off," Misty sighed, "I can see it in your eyes."

"Uh…hehe, you're crazy Mist," Ash laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ash," Misty's voice was still tired, although traces of annoyance were beginning to shine through, "just tell me."

"Alright," Ash shrugged his shoulders and replied sadly, "Dr. Aaron said you overworked yourself. All the stress from the gym, the kids, and everything else. You've been doing too much."

"Okay. And…?"

"He's putting you on bed rest," Ash continued, "one week."

"What?" Misty shot back up, her eyes blazing, "he can't…I can't do that! I have too much to do!"

"Exactly his point," Ash narrowed his eyes slightly, "_too _much to do. You've gotta start calming down, Mist. Your body can't take all of this."

"Fine," Misty grumbled, "if I have no other choice…"

"You don't," Ash interrupted, "and that wasn't his only order." Misty raised her eyes slowly, giving Ash an incredulous look.

"What else is he making me do?"

"No battling for two weeks."

"WHAT?" This outburst was even worse than the one that had been provoked by the news of mandatory bed rest, "Ash! I need to work!"

"You'll survive two weeks," Ash's stern tone indicated he was in complete understanding with the doctor, "so call the league up and tell them the gym is closed for the next two weeks."

"But then I won't get paid," Misty responded through ground teeth, "we need the money, Ash."

"I'm still working," Ash moved closer to her, "we'll be fine. I have lots of appearances and stuff coming up. Don't worry about those kinds of things."

"What about Aiden and Michelle?" Misty folded her arms and gave her husband a concerned look.

"My Mom can help us out," Ash suggested, "please Misty. I'm so worried about you."

Misty stared directly into Ash's eyes, and he didn't falter at all. "Really?" It came out as nothing more than a whisper.

"Of course," Ash smiled weakly, pulling Misty's face closer to kiss her lips, "I'm always worried about you." He leaned down to kiss her stomach, "especially now."

"You're so sweet honey," Misty began to blush.

"I try," Ash chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

"So…you think we'll be okay?" Misty asked whimsically as she laid back down, pulling Ash down with her.

Ash thought teasingly for a few moments, causing Misty to giggle and snuggle closer to the playful Pokémon master.

"I _know _we'll be okay," Ash answered with a bold smile, "and I can promise you that."

* * *

><p><strong>Squeee...they're so cute together ^^<strong>

**Aaah, it's been dead around here lately, hasn't it? Hardly any of my favorite stories have been updating. Is school killing everyone? Probably. I should probably study more XD Oh well.**

**What did you think of this chapter? Any comments, questions, general opinons? Just leave a review and let me know!**


	7. A Father's Love

**New chapter, new chapter! I'm in such a good mood right now, I HAD to update the story :P I have like...no homework, I got to see my favorite hockey players yesterday, and one of my favorite colleges waived the application fee for me! BEST DAY EVERRR.**

***Cough* anyway, none of you care. Understandable, mhmm. You just want to read the story! So I'll let you. I quite like this one, there's DRAMA! and good plot development. As much as I love meaningless fluff, I can't fill the entire story up with it. So don't worry :P**

**Now, quit reading my rambling and get to the good stuff!**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you're going away?"<p>

"I'm sorry honey," Delia gave her shocked son a sympathetic look, "but my old friend invited me to her vacation house for the week, and I've really missed her."

Ash sighed sadly and looked down in deep thought.

"But if you want, I can tell her that this week isn't good," Delia smiled, not a hint of hurt in her voice, "I certainly don't want my little grandchildren left alone, and I especially don't want Misty breaking those doctor's orders."

"No, Mom, it's fine," Ash shook his head quickly, "I know how important this is for you. I really want you to go."

"Are you sure sweetheart? It's not a problem, really!"

"Mom," Ash chuckled, gently holding her shoulders, "I _insist _you go. I'll figure out what to do with Aiden and Michelle, don't you worry."

"You're sure?" Delia arched a worried eyebrow.

"Positive," Ash leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, "go, have fun!"

"Alright then," Delia smiled softly as she picked up her luggage, "I'll call you when I get there." Ash nodded and allowed his mother to give him a kiss on the forehead before she walked out the door. Groaning, Ash shuffled over to the couch and threw himself down, unsure of who could watch the twins.

"May's too busy with her own kids," Ash thought aloud, "and Brock is all filled up with patients this week. Dawn has a Pokémon fashion show, Iris and Cilan live too far away, and Misty's parents are away on vacation." Growling, Ash lowered his head into his hands, trying desperately to come up with an idea.

"Are you talkin' to yourself, Daddy?"

Ash raised his head slowly and found Aiden staring at him from the doorway. The young boy's dark brown eyes were glinting with youthful innocence, and as soon as Ash's eyes met with them, a happy smile appeared on the child's face.

"Hey there buddy," Ash chuckled, "I'm not really talking to myself. Just…trying to figure something out."

"Like what?" Aiden tilted his head ever so slightly as he rushed over to his father. He hugged the man's legs very tightly, looking up at the master with his dazzling orbs. Ash's smile broadened, and he reached down to lift the child up onto his lap.

"Well, Mommy can't get out of bed for the week, so I need someone to watch you and Shelly."

"Is Mommy okay?" Aiden asked worriedly, his brow bending.

"She'll be just fine," Ash reassured as he patted his son's head, "she just needs to rest. That means no running around after you and your sister!"

"Can't Grammy watch us?" Aiden suggested, "I have lots of fun with her!"

"She was my first choice," Ash frowned, "but she's going away for the week. So she can't watch you guys."

"Why don't you take care of us?" Aiden asked mindlessly as he played with his fingers.

"Because I have to work. Since Mommy can't for a little while, it's really important that I do as much as I can."

"Take us to work with you," Aiden looked up at his father, the boy clearly made happy by his brilliant idea.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, champ…"

"Why not? It'd be cool! Michelle an' I love to watch you battle! C'mon Daddy!"

"Well…"

"Pleeease?" Aiden climbed off of Ash's lap and stood up on the cushion next to the Pokémon master, happily jumping up and down as he begged his older counterpart.

"Please Daddy? Please? Pleeease?"

"Okay, okay!" Ash laughed gently as he grabbed Aiden, causing the boy to shriek joyfully, "I'll take you and Michelle to work with me. But you both have to _behave, _alright?"

Aiden nodded quickly, understanding his father loud and clear.

"Well," Ash sighed, "this could be interesting."

**XXX**

By that afternoon, Ash was standing on a training field, testing out several of his Pokémon's attacks while under the watchful eye of Scott.

"Totodile, use water gun!" Ash commanded.

"Toto…dile!" The big jaw Pokémon shot a stream of water out at various targets, knocking each marking down with total ease.

"Good work Totodile," Ash complimented calmly.

"Totototo!" Totodile cheered, jumping up and down happily as he waved his claws in the air. In turn, Aiden and Michelle, who were sitting on a wooden bench several feet away from their father, giggled delightfully at the joyful water type.

"Ash, are you ever going to get Totodile under control?" Scott sighed as he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, "he's always acting so crazy."

"I don't think I can," Ash rubbed the back of his neck, "that's just his personality."

"To…" Totodile stopped leaping and looked curiously at Ash. In turn, the raven haired man blinked confusedly.

"What's up Totodile?"

"Dile…" Totodile yawned, sitting himself down on the ground.

"Oh, are you tired?" Ash smiled sympathetically, "alright, you've done really good today! You should take a nice long rest." Holding out a red and white sphere, Ash recalled Totodile into his poke ball and placed the orb onto his belt.

"Daddy, it's hot out here," Michelle called, holding her arms out. Ash knew that meant she wanted him. Smirking, Ash walked over to the bench and gathered Michelle into his arms, giving the little girl a kiss on the top of her head. Her ginger tresses, a perfect match to Misty's, were warm from the bright afternoon sun.

"I think we should go inside for a bit of a break," Ash looked over to Scott, "I'm kind of tired too."

"If you must," Scott sighed, walking to the doors of the indoor training complex.

"Come on guys," Ash smiled at both Aiden and Michelle, "we're gonna go inside for a little while. It's nice and cool in there."

"Can I have juice?" Michelle rested her head against Ash's chest. He was slightly damp with sweat, but she didn't mind.

"Me too!" Aiden cried, jumping off the bench. Pikachu, who had been sitting atop Aiden's head the entire time, twitched his ears from the sudden action.

"Yes, you can both have juice," Ash chuckled, heading in the same direction that Scott had.

Aiden and Michelle both stared up at the large silver structure. It was shining in the sun, the metal glistening like a rare gemstone. The inside of the building was even more impressive. It was lined with different training rooms, some containing indoor fields and others holding equipment used in special training. There was an indoor pool used for training water types, and different environments to test out, such as a forest or alleyway, so that a trainer could be prepared no matter what their surroundings.

Ash sat Aiden and Michelle down at a table in the quiet and empty dining hall. This was where trainers could come to get food or drinks for them and their Pokémon during breaks in training sessions.

"Now, you two stay right here," Ash ordered kindly, "I'll be right back with some juice for you both."

"This place is so cool!" Aiden squealed as Ash walked away.

"Daddy said it's very, very new," Michelle replied in a sophisticated tone, clearly proud of herself for knowing this fact.

From out of his pocket, Aiden retrieved a small bouncy ball which he and Pikachu had been playing with earlier. He happily bounced it up and down on the ground, catching the rubber sphere effortlessly each time it came flying up. At one point, however, he threw the ball too hard, and it went bouncing out of the room and down through the complex's corridor.

"I'll get it for you!" Michelle offered, jumping off her chair and running out of the dining hall. She hurried off in the same direction as the ball, and caught sight of the little toy rolling into one of the training rooms. She increased her pace as she entered the room and finally got in front of the ball.

"Gotcha!" Michelle cheered as she leaned down to scoop up the ball. Turning on a heel, the young girl took one look at what the room contained, and gasped in amazement.

It looked almost like a playground, filled with monkey bars and slides. There were ladders and ropes, and swings sitting dormant amongst small square trampolines. Thinking back to everything her father had told her about Pokémon training, Michelle assumed this was a good place to train normal types. As she observed the different features of the area, a shadowy figure hiding in the corner caught sight of the child, cackling quietly in a devilish manner. He stepped out of the crook slowly, waiting for the girl to notice him. She never did, however. Sighing impatiently, the man realized he'd have to take matters into his own hands.

"Hello, Michelle."

The little red head looked up confusedly, growing wide eyed at the sight of the stranger.

"Uh…how do you know my name?" Michelle asked rather softly, holding the ball tightly as though it would protect her.

"What a silly question," the man chuckled, moving a strand of silver hair out his narrowed grey eyes, "you're the Pokémon master's daughter, of course."

"Oh," Michelle looked down sheepishly. When she raised her emerald eyes, she saw the man still smiling at her. _He seems nice, _Michelle thought, becoming slightly more comfortable in his presence. "What's _your_ name?" Michelle tugged softly at a lock of red hair.

"Loki," the man responded with an airy voice. He looked a little bit like someone out of a fairytale, Michelle noticed. His hair was shaggy and mused, and he wore a long, flowing, steel blue cape. Underneath the cape was a grey vest, layered over a matching grey shirt. His pants matched the shade of the cape, and his boots were identical in color to the shirt and vest.

"Do you like Pokémon, Michelle?" Loki broke the few seconds of silence with a simple question.

"Uh huh," Michelle nodded quickly, "I play with my Daddy's Pokémon all the time!"

"Hm. I have Pokémon too, you know."

"Really?" Michelle's eyes were sparkling at the statement.

"Yes," Loki flicked another lock of hair, "would you like to see one?"

"Oh, could I?" Michelle grinned, moving closer to Loki. He smirked and gave a single nod, retrieving a poke ball from his belt.

"Come out, dear friend," Loki pressed the center button, releasing a Venusaur. Michelle's mouth pulled into an 'o' shape. She had seen Venusaur before, of course, and while she knew they were big, this one was exceptionally large.

"Wow…" Michelle breathed.

"This is my partner," Loki eyed the grass type fondly, "he's my strongest Pokémon, and very special to me. We've been together for a very long time."

"Like my Daddy and Pikachu!" Michelle smiled.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Loki's expression darkened ever so slightly, but the little girl took absolutely no notice. Composing himself, Loki smiled once again, and asked, "Would you like to see just how strong my Venusaur is?"

"Yes!" Michelle jumped up and down. Loki's grin broadened. Things were going just as planned.

**XXX**

At the same time, as Aiden sat at the table and swung his feet out of boredom, Ash returned to the table with two juice boxes.

"Here ya go champ," Ash smiled, handing one of the juices off to his young son, "sorry it took so long."

"Thank you Daddy!" Aiden cheered, happily taking the drink and stabbing the straw into the top. Turning to where Michelle had been sitting, Ash frowned when he realized the chair was empty.

"Aiden, where's your sister?" Ash asked cautiously.

"She went to get my ball," Aiden responded before taking a long sip of juice.

"How long ago was that?"

"A while ago," Aiden furrowed his brow, "I wonder where she is. It shouldn't take that long to get my ball back."

"Scott!" Ash yelled. The rotund man quickly appeared next to Ash, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "Stay here with Aiden. I need to go find Michelle."

"Your little princess better not be off causing any trouble," Scott sighed.

"I sure hope she isn't," Ash groaned, hurrying out of the dining hall. As soon as he was out in the corridor, Ash looked around in different directions, trying to figure out which way Michelle could've run off to. Unfortunately, it wouldn't take much longer for him to figure it out.

An ear splitting, high pitched scream came from the room right in front of Ash. His heart began to pound furiously. There was hardly anyone else in the training complex. It had to be…oh no. Finally returning to his senses, Ash darted into the room, gasping at the sight.

A strange, silver haired man was standing next to a Venusaur. The grass type had his twin vines exposed, and they were wrapped around Michelle, holding the young girl high up in the air. She was screaming and crying out of unimaginable fear, and all at once Ash became filled with anger and adrenaline.

"Michelle!" Ash yelled, hoping his voice would help to soothe his daughter. Michelle relaxed for a moment and looked down at her father, but she soon began to struggle again.

"Daddy, help me!" Michelle cried, kicking her legs wildly.

"I will, don't you worry princess!" Ash reached towards his belt.

"Don't bother, young master," Loki trilled, taking a small step forward, "it won't do you any good."

"You just watch me," Ash growled deeply, enlarging one of his poke balls, "who do you think you are, anyway?"

"The name's Loki," he snickered, "I find it shameful that you've never heard of me. I'm quite an important person."

"I don't care _how _important you are!" Ash bellowed, "If you mess around with my daughter, you're in for a _whole _lot of trouble! Let's go Infernape!" Ash chucked the red and white sphere, releasing the flame Pokémon. The sight of Michelle entangled in Venusaur's vine whip caused Infernape to become enraged, mimicking the emotions of his trainer.

"You're making a foolish mistake, dear boy," Loki shook his head.

"Infernape, use flare blitz on Venasaur!" Ash ordered. The fire type grunted and dashed forward, becoming engulfed in a bright orange fire. He ran straight into Venusaur, causing the monster of a Pokémon a great deal of damage. When Infernape straightened himself out, he winced in pain as the red sparks of recoil shocked him.

"You never _did _know any better, did you?" Loki tisked as he revealed a second poke ball. At this statement, Ash grew slightly confused, but he quickly snapped back into his serious demeanor. "Dustox, get this pesky Infernape and his trainer, won't you?"

The half bug, half poison type appeared in the air, setting its large yellow eyes on Infernape.

"Infernape, get it!" Ash barked, "Use flamethrower!"

Ingernape shot out a heavy stream of fire towards the poison moth Pokémon. Loki, however, didn't seem affected at all.

"Dodge it," he ordered softly. Dustox fluttered away with ease, and the failed flamethrower hit the ceiling, burning a gaping hole into the metal.

"Oh man," Ash muttered.

"Is that it?" Loki mused, "Dustox, let's show them your silver wind."

"Tox," Dustox nodded and began to flap its wings quickly, creating silver crescents that went flying towards Infernape.

"Dodge it!" Ash screamed. The fire type successfully dodged each hoary slice, creating several gashes in the floor. "Use flamethrower again!"

Infernape unleashed the attack, which Dustox once again dodged, this time without having to be told. Loki just stood by with an evil smirk as Dustox fluttered around the room. Growling, Infernape blew fire wherever the dust moth Pokémon went, missing each and every time. By the time he was finished, much of the room was absolutely charred, and Ash was becoming even more infuriated. Sensing his trainer's building frustration, and having to deal with his own, Infernape suddenly began to breathe heavily, his eyes glowing a faint red.

"Why don't you just quit while you're ahead?" Ash glared at Loki, "put my daughter down and I'll let you go."

"Now why would I do that?" Loki rolled his eyes teasingly, "Your daughter is of great use to me. Besides, I thought I'd get a much better battle out of the Pokémon master."

"Why would you need my daughter?" Ash seethed. The red tint of Infernape's eyes increased and the flames atop his head began to grow even hotter than usual.

"That information can't be revealed to you, I'm afraid."

"Daddy," Michelle whimpered. Ash looked back up at the little girl, and saw her dark emerald eyes filled with tears. His heart felt like it was being crushed, and his head was spinning. He had to save Michelle. He _had _to. Growling once again, Ash turned his gaze to Infernape. When he caught sight of the fire type, however, Ash gasped and straightened his shoulders out.

The flame Pokémon's eyes were a deep color of scarlet. His body was surrounded by a bright orange glow, and the flames on his head were about a foot higher, and clearly much hotter.

"Hm? What is going on with your inferior little fire type?" Loki raised an eyebrow. Grinning, Ash's hands tightened into fists at his sides, and he smirked boldly.

"It's called blaze," Ash chuckled darkly, just once. Infernape looked towards Loki and let out a piercing shriek, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed heavily.

"Blaze?" Loki repeated, this time with obvious interest.

"That's right!" Ash pointed forward, "Infernape! Use flare blitz one more time!"

"FER!" Infernape's orange glow increased exceptionally, and he once again ran straight into Venusaur. The grass type cried out in severe pain, and he began to falter. His vines retracted back into the trunk on his back, and Michelle went tumbling down. As Infernape moved onto Dustox, Ash ran forward, catching the frightened little red head in his arms.

"Gotcha!" Ash cheered, holding the girl close to him. She was still crying, and visibly shaken. Ash frowned and hugged her tightly, hoping that she would begin to feel safer.

Infernape, meanwhile, had gotten to Dustox by jumping up onto the playground equipment. He tackled the dual bug and poison type with his flare blitz attack, instantly knocking out the dust moth. Dustox fluttered to the ground, and Loki grunted, wordlessly recalling the unconscious Pokémon.

"That's enough of this," Loki sighed, taking out Venusaur's poke ball and returning the badly injured grass type. He turned to Ash, who was rocking Michelle back and forth and staring angrily back at the silver haired man. Chuckling, Loki once again addressed Ash, "you certainly are powerful."

"No kidding," Ash bit back.

"Too bad that won't help you in the long run," Loki shook his head slowly, a daunting smirk appearing on his face. From his belt, he threw a smoke bomb, enshrouding himself in a veil of fog. Ash coughed as the smoke dispersed, and he held Michelle's head close against his chest to protect her from the smolder. When it cleared, and Ash looked back up, Loki was gone.

"Who _was _that?" Ash asked himself quietly. Michelle's sobbing became heavier, and Ash frowned as he continued to hug the girl tightly. "Don't cry princess, It's over. You're safe. I won't ever let anybody hurt you."

"In…infer…"

Ash looked over at Infernape, who looked on the verge of collapsing.

"You did great Infernape," Ash gave a nod to the exhausted fire type, "thank you for helping me. Take a long rest." And with that, he recalled the flame Pokémon to the sanctuary of his poke ball.

"Ash!"

The Pokémon master turned to face the doorway, where he saw Scott racing in, Aiden hanging onto his back. Ash had to resist the urge to laugh. Scott always hated when the twins climbed all over him, so Aiden obviously wasn't up on Scott's back by the manager's choice.

"We heard a lot of loud noises and…" Aiden instantly stopped talking when he looked into the training room. Jumping off of Scott's back, he slowly walked closer to Ash, his eyes widening. "Whoa."

"Ash," Scott breathed out sharply, "what did you do?"

"I had no choice!" Ash cried, "some…guy was in here. I have no idea who he was. He said his name was Loki. He was _crazy. _He had silver hair…and a cape! And he was trying to kidnap Michelle! So I had to get rid of him _somehow!_" Fully examining the extent of damage he'd dealt to the training room, Ash grimaced and added, "I certainly didn't mean to do this."

There were holes burnt into the ceiling, walls, and floor, dark ash spread all over the room. The playground apparatus in the middle of the room was completely charred, burnt to a fine crisp and completely unusable.

"The league is not going to be happy with this," Scott began to rub his temples, "not at _all."_

"They can't get me in trouble for this, can they?" Ash asked incredulously.

"It's a very real possibility," Scott shook his head, "this complex is state of the art, brand new, and _very _expensive. The fact that you've _totally _destroyed part of it is not going to go over very well."

"Great," Ash sighed, hanging his head. When Misty got wind of this, she was probably going to be even more infuriated than the league. That was the splendor of pregnancy hormones in an already temperamental beauty.

"Daddy…" Michelle hiccupped, her tears still falling. Aiden frowned up at his twin sister, and Ash continued to comfort her.

"Michelle, honey…listen to me," Ash soothed, rubbing her back. Michelle looked up slowly, into her father's chocolate brown eyes. "You know I'm always going to protect you. I love you so much! But…we can't tell Mommy about this. Okay?"

"Why can't we tell Mommy?" Aiden asked quietly.

Part of the reason, of course, was because Misty would kill Ash, even though it wasn't his fault. But he wasn't about to tell his children that. So he decided to go with the other half of his reasoning. "Because she'll probably get very upset, even though Michelle's okay. And the more she gets upset, the longer she'll have to stay in bed."

"I don't want that," Aiden frowned.

"What do you say Shelly?" Ash kissed her on the forehead, "is that alright?"

Michelle sniffed and nodded very slowly, and very hesitantly.

**XXX**

That night, Ash and Misty were awoken by the sound of sniffling and gentle sobbing. They both rose very slowly, looking at one another to make sure it wasn't either of them.

"Why would _I_ be crying?" Ash sounded almost offended as he rubbed his eyes.

"Don't get smart with me," Misty yawned, shoving him by the shoulders.

The crying became louder and louder, until the two realized the source of the tears was standing at the foot of their bed. Misty began to sit up, struggling ever so slightly to do so. Ash was able to get up more quickly than Misty, and he crawled over to the edge of the bed. Looking down, he sighed sadly, his shoulders dropping.

"Who is it?" Misty finally sat up, rubbing her stomach. All of the stirring had woken up the baby.

"Michelle," Ash murmured, leaning down to lift the little girl up onto the bed. He brought the hysterical young red head over to Misty. It wasn't that Ash couldn't comfort the child on his own. She was just so upset that he knew he'd need Misty's help.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Misty frowned as she stroked her daughter's ginger locks, "why're you crying?"

"I…I had a bad dream…" Michelle wailed, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. Ash bit his lip so deeply it nearly began to bleed.

"My poor baby," Misty hugged the girl tightly, kissing the top of her head, "why don't you sleep in here with me and Daddy?" Michelle looked up at Ash, as though to check that it was okay. Ash smiled weakly and nodded, patting the girl's head.

"Come on princess," Ash hushed as he laid back down, "let's go to sleep, okay?"

Michelle, however, just couldn't stop crying. She refused to leave Misty's arms, sobbing even harder if Misty tried to separate from the child.

"Michelle, what in the world was your bad dream about?" Misty looked and sounded extremely alarmed.

Michelle shook her head and stammered, "n…no. Can't say."

"Why not?" Misty raised an eyebrow as she stroked the girl's cheek.

"I…I can't," Michelle sniffed, burying herself into the covers with her back turned towards Ash, "don't leave me Mommy."

"I'm not," Misty looked confusedly at Ash, who was staring sadly at Michelle. Looking back at Michelle, Misty's expression became one of sympathy. As she laid back down, Michelle moved closer to Misty once again, trying her best to snuggle up against her mother with the swollen stomach in the way.

"Do you know what's going on?" Misty whispered to Ash as she rubbed her daughter's back.

"Uh…I have…no idea," Ash blushed as he buried his head into his pillow, "good night, Mist."

Misty sighed and rolled her eyes. She was almost certain Ash was lying to her, but she was a little too tired to press him about it. Fortunately, Michelle's sobs were beginning to disappear, and she was settling into a deep sleep.

_I'll figure it out tomorrow, Misty_ thought to herself as she yawned and lay back down, nestling her head against Michelle's.

* * *

><p><strong>Misty doesn't like lying. Just thought I'd remind you all of that little fact :P<strong>

**Soo...what did you think? Was it good? Okay? Suckish? I hope not suckish XD This incident will not soon be forgotten, especially by Michelle. What do I mean by that? Well...you'll just have to keep reading and reviewing... :P**

**Until next time my awesome readers!**


	8. Justified Anger

**I am a writing machine! I haven't been able to stop lately, which I guess is a good thing for you guys :P Then again, hockey season just started up again so that might get in my way a little.**

**This chapter is a little shorter than usual. And by a little, I really mean a little. It's still over 3,000 words long. But I thought it had enough drama to stand on its own, and for me to spread this conflict out over more than one chapter.**

**So, that's enough out of me. Go on, read! **

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><p>Very early the next morning, Ash was woken up by a loud ring coming from his nightstand. He gasped and jumped up, hoping the sudden noise wouldn't disrupt Misty and Michelle's sleep. He grabbed his cell phone and answered the call, pressing the phone against his ear as he looked over his shoulder at his wife and daughter. Misty was stirring ever so slightly, but she didn't appear on the verge of waking up. Michelle, meanwhile, was still out like a light.<p>

_Thank goodness, _Ash thought as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" He whispered, glancing over at the alarm clock. He grew wide eyed when he realized it was only seven in the morning. Who in the world would be calling at this time of day?

"MASTER KETCHUM!" The voice on the other end screamed.

"Ah!" Ash jumped, moving the phone away from his now sore ear. Wincing, he slowly moved the device back to its spot on the side of his head, and asked, "Who _is_ this?"

"It's Mr. Goodshow," he had lowered his voice this time around, although it was still full of anger.

_Oh crap, _Ash cursed inwardly. He was really in for it.

"Oh, hello sir," Ash glanced back at Misty. She was now yawning and slowly moving her head. There was no way he could finish this conversation next to her. Slipping out of bed, Ash tip toed out of the room and rested himself against the wall in the hallway.

"I assume you know _why _I'm calling," Goodshow inquired.

"I have an idea," Ash gulped.

"I'm going to need to meet with you at the Pokémon League headquarters, I'm afraid."

"At…at the Indigo Plateau?"

"Well, that's where our Kanto headquarters are, correct?"

Ash licked his lips nervously. Goodshow had _never _sounded this angry before. "Yes, sir."

"Be here by eleven," Goodshow demanded. Before Ash could respond, the call ended. Groaning, Ash quietly marched back into the bedroom.

"Who was that screaming on the phone?"

Ash stopped in his tracks, a shock going up his spine. Slowly looking towards the bed, he found Misty sitting up, staring questioningly at him.

"Oh. It was just Mr. Goodshow," Ash shrugged, putting the phone down on his night stand.

"Well he sounded happy," Misty's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Ash rolled his eyes and stood up straight.

"I have to go have a meeting with him," Ash announced.

"About what? Did you do something?"

"Um…"

"Ash…" Misty's stare became somewhat judgmental, and Ash could feel the dread growing in his chest.

"We'll just see what he has to say to me," Ash rushed his words out as he darted off towards the bathroom.

"Ash Ketchum!" Misty snapped, her eyes narrowing. But he didn't bother to turn around and quickly shut the door. "Something's up with him," Misty grumbled, slumping down against the headboard.

"Mmm…Mama?"

Misty looked down and saw Michelle beginning to stir, her little hands rising to her eyes in order to rub the sleep from them.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby girl," Misty frowned, "did I wake you up?"

Michelle shook her head slowly as she moved closer to Misty once again, this time resting her head on her mother's thighs.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Misty tilted her head.

"Yes," Michelle murmured. Misty furrowed her brow. She knew it was still early, but even then, Michelle would've been acting like her usual self, bouncing up and down on the bed and begging for breakfast. This was quite strange, actually.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked playfully.

"Yes," Michelle repeated, her tone unchanged from before. Misty sighed sadly and touched the young girl's head. After a few minutes, the familiar movements from her midsection began. They were soft at first, but quickly became stronger until they were little kicks.

"Michelle," Misty nudged her daughter. The child looked up at her mother with innocent eyes, waiting for whatever Misty had to say. "Your little sister is awake," Misty giggled, "do you want to feel?"

Michelle nodded quickly, a little smile finally appearing on her face. She absolutely adored feeling the baby kick. Once she pressed her palms against Misty's belly, she felt much better. Michelle knew her mother would always be able to protect her. At that moment, Ash walked out of the bathroom, and Michelle shivered ever so slightly. She wasn't so sure that her father could do the same at this point.

"I'm gonna have to go now," Ash mentioned mindlessly to Misty as he walked into his closet to get dressed, "Goodshow wants me there at eleven."

"You've got about three hours until then," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"But it's all the way at the Indigo Plateau, and you heard how angry he was. I definitely don't want to be late for this."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" Misty sighed impatiently. Michelle looked up at her mother with saddened eyes.

"Well…I've gotta see what he says first," Ash hopped out of the closet, fully dressed, "we can go from there."

"Fine," Misty rolled her eyes. Smiling down at her daughter, Misty patted the child's head and asked, "Are you going to go with your Daddy?" Michelle shook her head feverously, greatly confusing Misty.

"It's probably not a good idea Mist," Ash piped up, "I think he's _pretty _ticked."

"Let me stay with you Mommy," Michelle hugged Misty tightly, "I'll be good, really. I promise."

"Okay," Misty hushed, kissing the girl's forehead, "it's alright. I'll watch you and your brother."

"Wait!" Ash cried, holding his hand out, "that's not really a great idea either! I don't want anything bad happening to you, Mist!"

"It's not a big deal," Misty raised an eyebrow, "if they need something to eat, I can get up for a few minutes. It's not like I'm going to go cook a full course meal or anything."

"No, it'll be fine," Ash smiled at Michelle, "you want to come with me, sweetie?" Again, Michelle shook her head quickly. Ash furrowed his brow and tried to ignore the guilt plaguing his heart.

"It'll be fine, Ash," Misty smiled sweetly at him, "quit worrying."

Ash breathed out deeply but finally agreed. He didn't need any other conflicts right now: the meeting with Goodshow was _not _going to be a pleasant one.

**XXX**

Ash watched with a pained look on his face as Mr. Goodshow deeply rubbed his temples. He was sitting at his desk, and had hardly looked up at Ash the entire time. In fact, the two had just been sitting there for about five minutes now.

"Uh…if it helps, sir, I know why I'm here," Ash spoke up quietly. Goodshow finally raised his eyes to the master, who in turn felt extremely awkward.

"As you should," Goodshow sighed, leaning back in his chair, "do you have _any _idea how much damage you caused to that room?"

"Well, not anything _exact,_" Ash looked away sheepishly, "but it looked pretty severe."

"Ash," Goodshow clasped his hands together and leaned forward on his desk, "it's practically damaged beyond repair." Ash cringed visibly at those words. "Would you care explaining to me just _why _you went ahead and did this? I mean, you're our master for goodness sake! I'd never expect anything like this out of you."

"It's not like I just decided to trash it," Ash shook his head slowly, "I _really _didn't mean to! Sir, if you saw what was going on, you would understand."

"Well, go on," Goodshow replied tiredly.

"I had Aiden and Michelle with me. Misty was put on bed rest, and I had no one else to watch them. We went inside for a little break, and I went to get the twins something to drink. Aiden was playing with a ball and it ended up bouncing down the hall. For whatever reason, Michelle offered to go get it for him, and she ended up in the normal type training area. When she got in there, there was some strange guy standing in the room. It was almost like he was waiting for her."

Goodshow looked rather skeptical, but Ash had no reason to stop. He knew he was telling the truth. So he continued, "Anyway, the guy tried to kidnap my daughter. He whipped out a Venusaur and tried to get away with her. And he might have gotten away with it too if I hadn't gone looking for Michelle! I had to battle him to get her back, sir. I sure as hell wasn't about to let some psycho take my daughter."

"Ash…"

"I would never make this up sir," Ash was practically pleading at this point, "someone tried to _take _my little girl. I would do anything for her. Aiden too. You _know _how protective I am of them!"

"Indeed, I do," Goodshow frowned, "and I'm not saying I don't believe you. It does sound a bit…strange, but I don't believe you'd ever make up something like that about your daughter." Ash nodded feverously. "Unfortunately, I can't just let you get away with this."

"I understand," Ash answered calmly. Inside, however, he was going crazy. What was Goodshow going to do to him?

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you," Goodshow looked extremely remorseful, "without pay."

"WHAT?" Ash cried, his eyes practically shooting out of his head. He had been so close to keeping the incident a secret from Misty, but such a serious punishment would not go unnoticed.

"I'm sorry, Ash. Truly I am. But seeing as you're the one who caused all of the damage, you're the one who's going to have to fix it."

"Sir, I understand that this isn't a good situation," Ash leaned forward, "but me not making a paycheck is _bad. _Misty can't run the gym for another two weeks, and she's depending on me to keep things running!" Ash groaned and buried his head in his hands. "How long are we talking here?"

"Well, we've calculated how much it'll cost to repair the room," Goodshow glanced over at a piece of paper on his desk, "and going by that, you'll have to be deferred for about three to four weeks. Probably four."

"That's…a whole month," Ash stammered, the color draining from his face.

"I feel very badly that it has to come down to this, but I see no other choice," Goodshow's frown deepened, "really Ash."

"Yeah," Ash slumped down in his chair, "me too."

**XXX**

At the same time, back in their Cerulean City home, Misty was busy preparing an early lunch for her and the twins. Both young children stood behind her, eyeing their mother with complete concern. Sensing their eyes on her, Misty giggled lightly and looked over her shoulder at her son and daughter.

"You two are very sweet," she trilled, "but I'm going to be just fine! I'm not doing anything that's too stressful."

"We don't trust you Mommy," Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"I _promise _you guys I'll be fine!" Misty smiled reassuringly. As she turned back to the sandwiches she was making, the doorbell rang, slightly alarming the twins. "Who could that be?" Misty mused, "This is a bit of a strange hour for anyone to be visiting…"

"I'll check!" Aiden offered, racing off in the direction of the door.

"Vaporeon," Misty glanced under the kitchen table, where she found her loyal water type resting in a strip of sunlight, "would you go with Aiden? I don't want him answering the door by himself."

"Vay," Vaporeon nodded, getting up on her paws and scurrying gracefully after Aiden. Misty listened intently as the door opened, trying to catch a hint of the visitor's voice. Michelle, meanwhile, moved closer to her mother. The little girl didn't want to risk anymore chances of being kidnapped.

"Mommy!" Aiden called, running back into the kitchen, "it's Sam's Dad."

"Gary?" Misty raised a confused eyebrow.

"Should I let him in?"

"Uh, yes," Misty nodded slowly. Aiden hurried back to his previous position, and returned in a matter of moments with a tall, russet haired man who was similar in build to Ash.

"Hello Gary," Misty flashed him an innocent smile, "are you looking for Ash? Because he's not here at the moment. He had a…"

"Meeting with the head honcho of the Pokémon league?" Gary interrupted, "yeah, I know. Sorry about that."

Misty suddenly looked even more confused than before. "Sorry about what?"

"You know, him being temporarily stripped of his title."

"WHAT?" Misty's emerald eyes flashed like fire. Aiden and Michelle looked up at their mother with wide eyes, and when they realized she had no idea what was going on, they turned their attention to Gary. "What do you mean they took away his title?"

"They didn't take it away," Gary waved his hands in front of himself, "they just suspended him! But…I thought you already knew that."

"No!" Misty was infuriated, "Why in the world would they suspend him?"

"I'm not really sure why," Gary tapped his chin, "the news casters didn't say. All I know is he's been suspended for a month as a direct result of something he did."

"What did he do?" Misty seethed, mostly to herself. She knew Gary wasn't lying when he said he didn't know what Ash had gotten suspended for. Rather, it was _Ash _who had lied to her. He knew what he'd done all along.

"Well…this is awkward…" Gary rubbed the back of his head. Looking over Misty, he made an attempt at small talk, "so, you're getting big, huh?"

"Shut up," Misty rolled her eyes as she went back to preparing the food.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Gary continued, "It means the baby is healthy, right?"

"Gary," Misty sighed without looking up, "if you have nothing better to do than to comment on my weight, then get out of my house before I unleash Gyrados on you."

"Sorry," Gary actually sounded sincere, "I just thought you might need some support. What, with Ash being a delinquent and all."

"You're certainly not helping."

"Well I admire you," Gary added haphazardly as he leaned on the counter. Misty rolled her eyes and folded her arms, glaring towards Gary and expecting him to continue with his explanation. "At least you're willing to do this for another kid. Kayla won't; no way."

Misty just kept on ignoring Gary and handed her children their lunch, the young and confused children scurrying off happily to eat their meals.

"Come on Misty," Gary frowned, suddenly sounding rather sympathetic. "Believe it or not, I don't like to see you moping around. Seems as if Ashy-Boy has actually rubbed off in me in that respect."

Misty's lips finally bent into a tiny smile, although she was quick to pull it down again. "I have a reason to mope, don't you think?"

"Yes, you do. But you have to know it's not your fault; all of this that's going on."

"And when did I ever say I thought everything was my fault?" Misty blushed slightly at the accusation.

"You never did, you didn't have to," Gary smirked. "I can see it in your eyes."

"You know," Misty narrowed her eyes, "if we weren't both married, I would definitely look upon this as you flirting with me."

"No, never," Gary waved a hand to dismiss the thought, "Ashy-Boy would kill me. I've just known you for so long that it's pretty easy to read you."

Misty let out a sad breath and shrugged her shoulders forward, trying her hardest not to let her hormones get the better of her. "I can't help but to feel that way, Gary. I'm the one who's pregnant and messing everything up."

"See, that's wrong," Gary replied smartly. "It isn't your fault, Misty. _Especially_ this! It's all Ash's fault, this one. I wouldn't blame you for lashing out at him like you never have before."

Misty raised an eyebrow and shot Gary a bookish glance. He _did_ make a good point…for once.

The sound of a car pulling up to the house could be heard, which caused Gary to sigh tiredly.

"Well, I'd better head on over to the Pokémon Center. Whatever needs to be worked out between you and Ash should be done while I'm not here."

"Why are you making so much sense today Gary?" Misty allowed herself to giggle sadly.

"I don't know really," Gary shrugged as he walked towards the back door. "I'm getting wiser with age, I suppose. Better too. Like a fine wine."

"Alright, get out," Misty felt one of her eyes twitch, "before you drive me crazy."

As soon as Gary left, Ash walked into the house, his brown eyes darting nervously around the room. He was silently hoping that Misty was upstairs sleeping. Maybe then he wouldn't have to face her undoubtedly harsh censure. Or perhaps he'd get lucky and Misty would never even know about his punishment! She _could_ just think he had taken a vacation…

"ASH!"

Or not.

"Uh…hey Mist," Ash greeted as sweetly as possible, his lopsided smile appearing hesitantly.

"Don't you _hey Mist_ me," Misty growled lowly. "How in the _world_ could you not tell me what this meeting with Goodshow was about? You obviously knew it was bad because you got suspended!"

"Where'd you hear that? On the TV?"

"No from…" Misty stopped herself and backtracked with a remarkable scowl. "Yeah, from TV."

"Knew I should've unplugged those before I left," Ash murmured playfully.

"This isn't a joke, Ash!" Misty cried, her hands balling into fists as her nails dug into her palms. "What the hell did you do?"

"You have to let me explain Misty…"

"Explain, explain, explain!" Misty threw her head back. "That's all you ever _do_, Ash! Every time you do something wrong you have to _explain _it to me!"

"But this wasn't my fault!" Ash retorted.

"Fine!" Misty threw her hands up, tired of fighting back. "Tell me Ash. Tell me _all _about it!"

"Some guy was trying to kidnap Michelle!" Ash yelled, his eyes clouding over with tears at the memory. Misty let out a small gasp and backed down slightly. "She ran off, he was standing in one of the training rooms waiting for her…I had to save her. I destroyed the room. That's why I got suspended. They need my paycheck to repair the damaged room."

"Ash, how the hell could you not tell me our daughter was almost kidnapped?" Misty breathed, her anger beginning to rise again.

"Because I knew it would work you up," Ash frowned, "and that was the last thing I wanted. I have to protect you and the baby, Mist."

"That's not something you keep from me Ash," Misty choked, a tear slipping out of her eye.

"Mist," Ash sighed softly, "don't cry. Please." He reached out to sweep away the drop, and was shocked when Misty reached her hand out to smack his own away. "Misty!"

"Don't touch me," Misty growled lowly, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Misty," Ash gasped quietly, "but…but…you're acting like I just hit you. And I would never…"

"You might as well have with what you just told me," Misty shook her head, tears still free falling. "So _that's _what Michelle's been having nightmares about. _That's_ why she's been so skittish all day, and refuses to go near you! Ash, how could you?"

"I'm really sorry!" Ash tried, his shoulders sagging in guilt and frustration. "I just didn't want to scare you Mist. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, really."

"I hardly know who you are anymore," Misty blurted out, her cheeks reddening as she spoke. "The real Ash would _never_ lie to me. And you've been doing it constantly."

"Misty…" Ash whined. The gym leader began backing away from him, slowly shaking her head as she retreated.

"You're being a terrible husband," Misty bit acidly. Those words cut Ash like a knife, and he couldn't even find the words to respond. And if he thought that remark was cruel, then he was truly unprepared for Misty's finishing blow. "And an even worse father."

And with that, Misty turned and stormed away, leaving behind a shocked and broken Ash.

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><p><strong>Ouch. See, Misty's still got her mean streak! Although this time it might have been justified. I don't know; what do you guys think? That's what reviews are for (hint hint :P)<strong>

**So what will happen next? Is Ash gonna run away, like Misty in the first story? Will Misty ever be able to forigve Ash for all of his lies? And will Michelle ever be able to trust her father again?**

**All of these answers...next time!**


	9. Lessons Learned

**Yay, new chapter! This one took me awhile, I know. It came out a lot longer then I thought it would, actually! Also, hockey is back which may or may not be my number one distraction in life. Oh, and college stuff. I hate college applications, mmmhm.**

**So, as you'll recall last chapter, Misty kind of freaked out that Ash lied to her, and she called him some not so nice stuff. So what ever is the super sensitive Ash going to do after his beloved wife shot him down like that? Read on and find out!**

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><p>Ash lay in the backyard underneath a large oak tree, Misty's harsh words running through his head over and over again.<p>

"_You're being a terrible husband. And an even worse father."_

Ash turned over onto his side and punched the grass. He was angry. Not at Misty, or Mr. Goodshow. No. Ash was angry at himself.

"Misty's right," Ash mumbled to himself, "I'm the worst."

He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach so he could bury his face into his folded arms. Pikachu, who had followed his trainer outside after Misty's tirade, was watching the raven haired master from atop the tree.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu called softly. He got no response.

"Daddy?"

The electric mouse raised his ears and took notice of the small figure standing several feet away from the crumpled older male. Aiden moved closer to his father and poked at his shoulder, hoping that would be enough to garner his attention. "Daddy?"

Ash still didn't move. Raising his shoulders, Aiden kneeled behind Ash and yanked at his shirt. "Hey, Daddy!"

This time, Ash jumped up, alarm shining in his russet eyes. When he realized it was just Aiden, he sighed and relaxed his body. "Oh, I'm sorry buddy. I was sleeping…I thought you were someone bad."

"Why are you out here Daddy?" Aiden asked, tilting his little head.

"Oh…uh…I…" Ash tried to think up a good lie. He couldn't tell Aiden about the explosive fight he and Misty had just had. But again, with the lying. All of a sudden, the thought of telling a lie sent Ash spiraling into a severe guilt trip. Lies he had already told in hopes of protecting someone, the most important person in his life, had only ended up hurting more than helping. And now Ash was certain she'd never forgive him.

"You just wanted to nap?" Aiden answered for Ash. The man's mouth was agape, but he soon closed it and nodded. It wasn't a complete lie; Ash _had_ fallen asleep after all.

"Come here champ," Ash beckoned, holding an arm out. The little boy obliged happily, settling himself into Ash's side and looking up at his older counterpart with gleaming eyes. "What do you think? Do…do you think I'm a good Dad buddy?"

Aiden grinned and nodded feverously. "I have lots of fun with you, Daddy. I wanna be just like you!"

Ash frowned at this. Usually, that kind of statement would have him grinning like a kid in a candy store. But after Misty's comments, he wasn't so sure if he wanted Aiden to emulate him. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Aiden began to climb over his father's much larger frame. "You're the Pokémon master! And you love me, and Shelly, and Mommy."

"Yeah," Ash looked away, frowning once again, "I do."

"And you love the baby too?"

"Yes," Ash tried to fight the threatening tears, "I really do love her."

Aiden didn't say anything in response. He kept rolling on Ash's side until he fell off and landed softly in front of the Pokémon master's face. Their matching, dark brown eyes locked, and the father and son said nothing for quite some time.

Very often, when Ash looked at Aiden, he could only think of himself as a child. Ash had looked just like Aiden as a child, the only discernable difference being the distinct markings under Ash's eyes that Aiden lacked. Everything else was the same though, except for the very small resemblances to Misty that Ash could see in the boy's face.

Aiden shared Misty's smile, the small and playful little curve of their lips. Their noses bared some resemblance to each other, although Ash could see some of his own nose in there as well. The smile was the big factor, though, and it was one that made Ash feel great pride every time the child grinned.

And now, it was just filling him up with a sense of sadness. It reminded him of Misty's anger and hurt, all things that he truly hadn't meant to inflict on her. He felt so lost and confused by the whole situation that he didn't know what to do.

"Daddy," Aiden tapped his father lightly on the cheek, "how come you're not allowed to be the Pokémon master anymore?"

"Where did you hear that from buddy?"

"Mommy was talking about it," Aiden murmured sadly.

"I'm still the Pokémon master champ," Ash smiled poignantly; "I just can't work for the next few weeks. That's all."

"Why?"

"I'm not allowed."

"Why?"

Ash sighed and rested his head on his hand. "You're very inquisitive, aren't you son?"

Aiden grinned and nodded, although he didn't understand the meaning of the word "inquisitive." He just liked to watch his father's reactions to what he did.

"I got in trouble, that's all," Ash brushed some of Aiden's hair away from his eyes. "That's a good lesson for you. Always behave, okay baby boy?"

"I'm not a baby," Aiden pouted in response. More silence set in. And once again, Aiden was the one to break it. "Is Mommy mad at you?"

"What makes you say that Aiden?" Ash's heart started to race.

"I heard her yelling at you before," Aiden explained. "But I'm kind of used to that…so I went to go play."

"Aiden…" Ash began, although he wasn't sure how to answer the boy's question. "Mommy and I…we got into a little argument. That's all. But you know that we still love each other, right?"

Aiden simply shrugged, and that only alarmed Ash even further. "Mommy says that sometimes the baby makes her angry. Why? Does she hate the baby?"

"No, not at all," Ash quickly refuted the idea. "She says that because the baby changes the way her body works. Sometimes she just gets upset for no reason, really."

"Is that why she was yelling at you before?" Aiden furrowed his brow slightly.

"Could be," Ash bit his lip. That _did _seem plausible, but he wasn't going to rely on that idea. Misty definitely seemed to be pretty angry on her own accord.

"Ash?"

The Pokémon master blinked and lifted himself up. He knew that Aiden hadn't just addressed him. While the boy _did_ sometimes call him by his first name (just to watch Ash get all riled up) the voice was far too feminine and mature to be Aiden's.

Looking over his shoulder, Ash found Misty standing behind him, her face reflecting a look of sorrow.

"Aiden," Ash turned his head back around to address their young son, "why don't you go play with Pikachu for a little while?"

"Okay Daddy," Aiden scrambled up and hurried over to the trunk of the tree. "Come on Pikachu! Let's go play tag!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt out of the branches and followed after the excited boy, eager to play with the child.

Ash rolled over onto his back so he could sit up fully. Pulling his knees to his chest, he looked up at Misty and frowned. "Did you come out here to tell me off some more?"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "No. No…I'm sorry Ash."

He shot her a genuinely surprised look. Perhaps her hormones had taken over after all? Rubbing her upper arm, Misty sat down next to Ash, folding her legs and resting her elbows on them. She was looking ahead of herself, seemingly in deep thought. Ash wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid she'd just smack him away again.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you," Misty continued softly after several moments of awkward, painful silence. "They were just…awful. I'm so sorry Ash."

"It's okay," Ash looked down at his feet, "they were all true anyway."

"No they weren't!" Misty gasped. Her head snapped up and she stared incredulously at Ash's sullen figure. When he showed no sign of taking it back, Misty bit her lip and moved closer to the Pokémon master, hesitantly reaching out to stroke his hair. "Why do you listen to me? I'm stupid. Aiden, Michelle, and I are _so _lucky to have you, and you mean the world to all three of us. You're the best husband and father anyone could ever ask for."

"You're not stupid, first of all," Ash raised only his eyes to look at Misty. "You're far from it. That's why you called me a terrible husband and father. Because I am."

"Quit saying that," Misty almost growled as she clutched the grass and pulled at it. "You're gonna drive me crazy, Ash! Don't take my brainless words to heart. You're a great father. Why would ever let such a dumb comment go to your head?"

"Because I really have no idea what I'm doing!" Ash cried, tears stinging behind his dull brown eyes. "I didn't have a father growing up, Misty. You know that well enough. I have nothing to go off of, just instinct. No one realizes how much I struggle with this inside. I always wonder if I'm loving Aiden and Michelle enough, if I'm doing enough for them. I don't spoil them just to spoil them, Mist. I just want to make them happy. Seeing those two smile just makes me feel like I've done something _right_. The biggest fear I have in life is messing up, and hurting them."

"They love you more than anything Ash," Misty whispered softly. "All Aiden ever talks about is you. He wants to be you _so_ badly, Ash. It's always Daddy this, Daddy that. You're practically a super hero to him."

"Yeah, sometimes," Ash muttered. He didn't want to admit it, but Misty was right.

"And what about Michelle?" Misty pressed on. "That little girl is your personal cheerleader. If anyone dares to interrupt her viewing of one of your battles, she goes off on a tirade that puts ones I had as a kid to shame. You're her teddy bear; whenever she has a choice of who to cuddle up to, you're almost always her number one choice."

"Except for last night," Ash sighed.

"Well what about our baby girl?" Misty pressed her hands against her bulging stomach. "She _already _loves you, and she's not even born yet! Arceus, every time you go and talk to her, she starts kicking like a little fighting type! So how could you even assume our children don't love you?"

"Because I'm a screw up!" Ash wailed as he covered his eyes. "My father was a failure, so now I'm one too!"

"Ash, stop," Misty sighed sadly, gently clutching onto the sleeve of his shirt. "You are _not. _Yes, you've made quite a few mistakes over the past few weeks. But don't we all make mistakes? No one is perfect." She looked Ash over and let a little smile appear on her face. "Not even the Pokémon master."

Ash's own miniscule grin showed up, a low chuckle escaping along with it. "Guess not."

Misty leaned forward and kissed Ash on the cheek. This action caused Ash to jump up and stare deeply into his wife's emerald eyes, leading Misty to giggle girlishly and wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"And now you're being all affectionate?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Because I love you Ashy," Misty gave him another peck. "I was a bitch before. I know I was. And I'm _really _sorry about it. You know I take all of it back."

"I know, and I accept your apology," Ash smirked. Placing a hand on Misty's bump, he gave it a little rub and added, "And remember, no swearing."

"Ash, don't worry," Misty playfully rolled her eyes, "I'm sure Fiona doesn't understand what any of this means."

"_Fiona?_" Ash practically shrieked, making a nauseated face.

"Just trying different names out," Misty winked before resting her head on Ash's shoulder. "Guessing that one's a no?"

"Definitely not."

"Good, I hate that name."

"Then why did you…"

"Gauging your reaction."

"Ha, you're just like Aiden," Ash smirked before his lips returned to their frowning state. Misty noticed this and grimaced as well, gently stroking Ash's arm. "Why do we have so many problems Misty?"

"I wouldn't necessarily say we have _problems_," Misty bit her lip.

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Because…we fight a lot Mist. And somebody always seems to be after us. Which then leads to even _more_ fighting."

"It's just because you're famous Ash," Misty replied as she looked over to her left. "We can't let these people get to us. That's all."

"So you _do_ love me?" Ash inquired warily.

Misty turned back towards Ash and shot him an incredulous look. She pulled his face close to hers and then gently tilted it down so his eyes were gazing at her ever growing belly. "No Ash. I don't love you at all. That's why I married you and why I'm the mother of your children."

"Alright, alright," Ash chuckled gently as he blushed slightly, "I get it."

"I'm still sorry," Misty added as she let go of Ash's face.

"I know baby," Ash cooed before leaning in to give her a delicate kiss on the lips. "And I still forgive you."

**XXX**

"NO! NO! NO!"

Ash and Misty both shot up, their eyes widening in terror. The sound of screaming was ringing through the house, and it certainly hadn't come from either of them.

"It's one of the twins," Misty glanced at Ash.

"Let's go," Ash climbed out of bed. "I'll check on Aiden, and you'll see if it's Michelle." Misty nodded and followed suit, the couple stepping out of their room and into the hallway.

Ash peaked into Aiden's room, which was closer to his and Misty's than Michelle's room was. The boy was fast asleep, which surprised Ash. Aiden was actually a fairly light sleeper, and the screaming _had_ been pretty loud. But if it wasn't Aiden…

"Michelle," Ash sighed sadly under his breath. He turned away from Aiden's doorway and walked towards Michelle's room, looking in first just to be safe. The little red head was in hysterics, Misty's arms wrapped around her small body as she tried to comfort the child.

"Michelle, honey, its okay," Misty soothed as she brushed through Michelle's silky tresses.

Ash frowned and walked into the room, sitting on the side of Michelle's bed. He glanced up at his wife, who was now holding Michelle with one hand and massaging her stomach with the other.

"Your other daughter woke up," Misty winced, "and she's hurting me."

"Okay," Ash hushed as he tried to take the girl from Misty. When Michelle realized she was being separated from her mother, however, she freaked out and began screaming again, twisting her body around so violently she almost hit Ash in the face.

"Whoa!" Ash cried, holding Michelle a good distance away from him. The girl let out a blood curdling scream, which terrified Ash even more. Afraid of startling Aiden, Ash tucked Michelle into his body, holding her closely to his chest and pressing his hand against the back of her head. "Hush baby. Come on."

"NO!" Michelle yelled again, pushing her little hands against Ash's chest. She was trying to pull away, but Ash was much stronger than she was. He wasn't exactly sure of how, but he was going to fix the wrongs he had done his daughter, and he was going to do it right then and there. He had a feeling, after all, that all of this commotion was his fault.

"Michelle, listen to me, _please_," Ash begged, his lips lowering to the top of Michelle's head. The girl continued bawling, feverously shaking her head.

Ash shivered slightly as he began to rock back and forth, gently humming a familiar song. Michelle's heavy sobs began to slow down as she listened to the tune. Misty, meanwhile, let out a small gasp and stared at Ash in shock. Sure, he had a terrible singing voice and knew it. That's why Ash never sang, or even hummed, to the twins. Not even when they were babies and couldn't judge him. But now here he was, humming _her _lullaby to their little girl.

"Ash, how…" Misty tried, her words getting lost in her throat.

"I've heard you sing it enough times to know the melody," Ash whispered, smiling gently at his wife. "And I know she likes it. Do I really sound that bad?"

Misty giggled softly and smirked, shaking her head.

When Ash was finished humming the song, Michelle looked up cautiously at her father, her eyes red and puffy from crying and her cheeks tear streaked.

"There," Ash murmured, tenderly rubbing the child's cheek, "no more crying baby. I'm not here to hurt you." Michelle sniffed, but didn't say anything in response. Ash could see the distrust behind those young emerald eyes. "Why were you crying princess? Did you have a bad dream?"

Michelle whined quietly and looked towards her mother. Misty smiled kindly and nodded, encouraging Michelle to answer her father directly.

"Uh huh," Michelle mumbled, glancing away from Ash as she did so.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Ash continued.

Michelle quickly shook her head, not even giving it a second thought. Ash raised his eyes to Misty, as if asking her permission to push their daughter a little further. Misty grimaced, but nodded once more. She knew that Michelle would have to gain closure from this little incident, and the gym leader would prefer to have it be sooner rather than later.

"Was it about what happened at the training complex?" Ash asked with a shaky voice. "With that bad man?"

Michelle's breath quaked, revealing that she was once again close to tears. After a few moments of complete silence, Michelle answered wordlessly in the affirmative, causing Ash to flatten his mouth out into a perfectly straight line.

"You're upset with me, aren't you Shelly?"

More silence. Michelle seemed conflicted with what to do. She glanced up at Ash, and then quickly back down again. Ash took notice of this and sighed inwardly. The girl was really hurt. He lifted her from underneath her arms to be at eye level with him. She squeaked quietly and, sensing her fear, Ash leaned forward to kiss Michelle on her nose.

"I won't get mad at you baby girl," Ash murmured. "I promise. But if you're not happy with me, I need to know. I want to fix it."

Michelle thought for another few seconds before nodding slowly and cautiously.

"Can you tell us why you're upset with Daddy?" Misty moved closer to her daughter, toying with the girl's soft hair. "Do you feel like Daddy is the one who put you in danger?"

Ash's breath hitched, but he didn't say anything. The notion hurt, but he knew that Misty had a valid point. Michelle's run in with Loki _was _a pretty traumatizing event. Perhaps Michelle felt that he hadn't been able to rescue her quickly enough?

"No," Michelle whispered, shaking her head. Ash and Misty locked eyes, both actually surprised by the answer. Both could've _sworn_ that was what had been haunting the young girl.

"Then what was it sweetie?" Misty asked.

"You told me to lie to Mommy," Michelle hiccupped as she looked up at Ash. "I…I don't like lying to Mommy."

"I know you don't," Ash assured her. "I don't like it either. I just thought we were protecting Mommy. But she knows about everything now. No more lying, okay?"

Michelle twisted her body so she was gazing sideways at her mother. Misty nodded confidently and soothed, "Daddy's right princess. We're not going to tell anymore lies to each other."

Michelle stretched out her right arm. Somehow, Misty knew just what she wanted. Smiling, the older red head crawled even closer to her husband and daughter and gave Michelle a gentle hug. Michelle fell in closer to Ash, and as a result, so did Misty. The gym leader's arm was now wrapped around both Michelle and Ash, prompting a genuinely happy smile from the five year old caught in between them.

"We love each other?" Michelle asked whimsically.

"Of course," Misty kissed the top of Michelle's head and then Ash's forehead. "We all love each other lots."

"Will you be okay now baby girl?" Ash asked as he gently bounced the girl. "No more nightmares?"

"No more nightmares," Michelle shook her head before letting out a little yawn. Chuckling, Ash gave Michelle one last kiss on the head before laying her back down and pulling the covers over her little body.

"Good night then princess," Ash smiled, stroking her hair. She sighed contently and rolled over onto her side so she was facing Ash. Misty too bid her daughter good night, and once all was said and done, the two parents left Michelle to fall into a deep slumber.

"At least Michelle isn't mad at me anymore," Ash smiled at his wife as she sat on the edge of the bed, holding her stomach as she looked down thoughtfully. "I'm a little surprised it was only because of the lie, though."

"Michelle's very sensitive to other people's feelings," Misty murmured, "just like me."

"Are you okay angel?" Ash asked worriedly as he took a seat at Misty's side. "You look like you're feeling a little sick."

"No, I'm fine," Misty shook her head, "I was just…thinking."

"About what?" Ash sounded almost breathless.

"Why would someone try to kidnap our little girl?" Misty furrowed her brow ever so slightly.

"Because she's our daughter, maybe," Ash frowned. "We're both famous. Some…psychopath probably just wanted to get their hands on her."

"You said you destroyed the training room, right?" Misty glanced up at her husband.

"Yeah…"

"So that means you must have had a battle with him."

"I used Infernape. He could sense that I was really upset, so then he got really upset and blaze was activated. That's mainly why the room was destroyed."

"What did that…guy say to you?" Misty ground her teeth, trying to control her building anger at the unknown hijacker. "He must've said _something_ about wanting her…"

"He said that he needed her for something," Ash scratched his head. "But he wouldn't tell me what. He was _crazy, _Misty. Probably had no idea what the hell he was doing."

"Not necessarily," Misty mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Ash blinked.

"Ash…is powerful aura something that's highly valued?" The raven haired trainer twisted his mouth and looked away, his heart starting to beat rapidly. "Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash sighed, "sometimes it is."

"Do you think…" Misty bit her lip, "you think people know that the twins have aura?"

"I don't even know if they do," Ash pulled at his hair. "Just because the baby does doesn't mean they have it too."

"But what are the chances?" Misty whispered.

"Pretty high."

"Could that be it?" Misty wringed her hands together. "Arceus Ash, I thought you said aura wasn't dangerous!"

"Not unless it falls into the wrong hands," Ash shook his head.

"But _that_ would be getting into the wrong hands."

"Yes, it would."

"How would we know if they have aura?" Misty inquired after several beats of tense silence. "If they do have it, I want to protect them."

"We could always use Justin's Riolu," Ash shrugged.

"I don't want to ask to use his Pokémon for my own personal use," Misty rubbed the back of her neck.

"You're his boss, you can do whatever you want," Ash smirked.

"This isn't funny Ash. Our children could be in real danger. I need to know if they have this…stupid thing or not."

"Okay honey," Ash sighed playfully as he kissed her on the cheek. "So are you going to ask Justin to use his Riolu?"

"I don't see any other option," Misty folded her arms, thinking shallowly and coming up with nothing.

"We can ask him tomorrow," Ash yawned and got up, gathering Misty into his arms. She shrieked softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up curiously at her sleepy husband. "But I'm tired, and I bet you are too. So let's call it a night."

"Sounds good to me," Misty breathed, nestling her face into Ash's chest.

**XXX**

"Justin, I need to ask you for a favor."

The young man seemed a little shocked as he stared back into Misty's emerald eyes. He wasn't stunned by the request. Oh no. It was more that before he could even greet her, she had jumped right in front of him and pressed the appeal.

"Uh…sure?"

"I was wondering if you could call out your Riolu for me."

"Okay, no problem!" Justin grinned. He turned around to head towards the gym, but was stopped by Misty's hand on his slightly broadened shoulder. "What's up?" He asked while peering over at the red head.

"Not at the gym," Misty straightened her shoulders out. "Here"

"Why here?"

"I have an objective!" Misty cried, her cheeks reddening. Justin backed away slightly, realizing he had just provoked a reaction from her wild hormones.

"Right, sorry Misty!" Justin hurried out in a flustered manner as he pulled out Riolu's poke ball and released the small blue Pokémon.

"Misty, don't be rude to Justin," Ash chastised gently as he walked into the room. Aiden was hanging on to his left leg, while Michelle rode on his back. Misty smiled at the sight of Michelle burying her face in the space between Ash's neck and shoulder and completely bypassed Ash's remark. She was just so pleased to see her little girl trusting her father again.

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Ke…uh, Ash," Justin chuckled, "Misty wasn't being rude to me at all!"

"You don't need to cover up for her Justin," Ash smirked.

"Ri?" Riolu suddenly piped up, his big eyes setting on the two young children attached to the Pokémon master.

"Look!" Aiden shrieked as he released Ash's leg. "A Riolu!"

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Michelle squealed while tugging at Ash's black locks. He grunted each time she yanked before finally lifting the girl off his back and putting her down next to her brother.

The two children hurried over towards the aura sphere Pokémon and began fawning over it, which excited the little fighting type.

"Ri! Ri!" Riolu cheered, clapping his little paws together.

"Riolu loves being the center of attention," Justin informed the twins. "You two sure are making him happy!"

"I like him, he's cute!" Michelle exclaimed as she patted the Pokémon's head.

"Lou…" Riolu cooed, holding his paws out towards the twins. They blinked confusedly, and gasped rather excitedly when the Pokémon's paws began glowing a bright shade of blue. Before long, their own eyes were glowing, unbeknownst to the children. There was something different about the glow, however. It was much lighter than Ash's, Riolu's, or even the baby's.

"Ash," Misty whispered, "it looks…off."

"I wonder…" Ash mused quietly.

"Wonder what?" Misty pressed when he began to trail off.

"I remember hearing one time that the offspring of an aura guardian's descendent and someone without strong aura could have something known as limited aura."

"Half aura?" Misty repeated curiously.

"Yeah," Ash furrowed his brow. "Limited aura means that they do have a much stronger aura than most people, but it can't be used to the same extent that full aura can be."

"And you have full aura?"

Ash nodded his head.

"So…does that mean the baby…has full aura too?" Misty murmured.

"It would certainly appear that way," Ash nodded.

"We need to protect them," Misty sighed, nervously rubbing her stomach.

"I will," Ash asserted. He looked down at their two young children, who were still busy playing with Riolu and blissfully unaware of their glowing eyes. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so, in the anime, there was never anything such as "full aura" or "limited aura." No one ever mentioned it to Ash or anything. But it's my story so that's what I'm sticking to :P It doesn't even sound that unlikely, really. I mean, not every kid who is considered a descendent of an aura guardian can have full power when one of their parents doesn't have strong aura. At least that's my thinking towards it :P<strong>

**I also hope any confusion with Michelle and Ash was cleared up. She was really only upset because he told her to lie to Misty, and like Misty said, Michelle doesn't like to lie. The actual event did frighten her, but that was a very small fraction of it. **

**And Ash and Misty are on good terms now! Yay!**

**The reviews for last chapter were awesome! I'm really glad to know you guys are still enjoying the story ^^ It's only going to get better from here on out, so stick around and keep being awesome!**


	10. A Trio of Hearts

**Whoah, I haven't updated in almost 2 weeks. That's a long time for me. I can't help it, college applications are _killing_ me. I just want to enjoy senior year, and these stupid institutions of higher learning won't let me.**

**ANYWAY, after the past few chapters of angst and drama, we have a fun chapter! That's right, everyone is getting along in this chapter. And I'm gonna cover another anime topic that I've always enjoyed. I got this idea from one of my reviewers, and I definitely thought it would make a good addition to the story. I think it'll make for some fun, but you guys are the judges. So read on!**

* * *

><p>"Here we are. Welcome to Sinnoh!"<p>

Aiden and Michelle were happily running around their parents' feet while Misty groaned and rubbed at her sore back.

"Everything okay?" Ash asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Misty winced, "but I'm five months pregnant, and sitting in a plane seat for three and a half hours did quite the damage on my back."

"Poor angel, I don't doubt it," Ash frowned.

"I just want to take a nap," Misty whimpered slightly. Pikachu _cha'd _sadly for the water type gym leader, and hopped from Ash's shoulder onto hers. She giggled softly and scratched behind the Pokémon's ears, earning a delightful shriek from the electric type.

"Hey now, you're not allowed to be tired!"

Misty and Ash looked ahead, finding May and Dawn moving towards them. Ash chuckled and raced forward, while Misty followed more leisurely behind; the extra weight slowing her down.

"Hey you two!" Ash greeted happily, enveloping the two younger girls into a hug. While the duo reciprocated the action, they were quick to abandon the Pokémon master in favor of his wife. Ash blanched out in shock and whipped around, finding that May and Dawn were busying themselves fawning over Misty.

"Aww, look at your belly!" May squealed, causing Misty to blush. "It's _so_ cute!"

"Oh, I can't wait to meet the little thing!" Dawn trilled as she rubbed Misty's swollen midsection. "Is it awake?"

"Uh…you mean she?" Misty's face was even more red now. She was extremely wary of people touching her bump, and most of their friends were aware of this fact. With the exception of Brock, Ash, and the twins, everyone made sure to first ask Misty whether or not it was alright. This idea never seemed to cross Dawn's mind, however, and she typically just went for it. It annoyed Misty greatly, but she didn't have the heart to tell the coordinator off.

"She?" May asked quietly before her face lit up. "The baby is a girl?"

"Yep," Misty grinned at the brunette. "We thought it was a boy at first, but it turns out the doctor was wrong."

"I'm just saying, I like the name Heather," Dawn piped up, her sapphire eyes gleaming.

"Ew, no," Misty shook her head. "Heather rhymes with the word feather."

"So?" Dawn blinked.

"That just throws me off. Also, I don't think the name Heather Ketchum flows nicely. Not the way Aiden and Michelle's names do."

"Okay," Dawn frowned slightly.

"No need to worry Dawn," Ash winked, inserting himself back into the conversation. "We'll come up with the perfect name for our baby girl."

"Ash," Misty suddenly gasped, her emerald eyes widening. "Where _are _Aiden and Michelle?"

"I…uh…"

"You were supposed to be watching them!" Misty cried, her heart beginning to race.

"Don't get so worked up Misty!" May implored, fearing for her pregnant friend's well being. "They just wanted to go see Damien and Rosie, so they're with Drew and Kenny right now."

"Oh, thank goodness," Misty sighed as she covered her heart.

"Is anyone else here yet?" Ash inquired.

"No, just you four," Dawn replied. "Cilan and Iris will be here tomorrow afternoon, along with the triplets. And Brock called earlier to say he'll arrive tomorrow night. He said he's really stacked with appointments."

"That's not surprising," Ash nodded. "Spring's just started up. Lots of Pokémon get different illnesses when the weather starts to change."

"There goes Ash, acting all intelligent," May snickered. Dawn and Misty were quick to join in, while Ash cocked an un-amused eyebrow.

"Haha, very funny May," Ash droned sarcastically as he walked off. "I'm going to go find my children. At least _they _don't make fun of me."

"Sometimes they do," Misty called sweetly after him. Ash looked over his shoulder and teasingly stuck his tongue out at Misty. In turn, she smirked and returned the childish action, eliciting more laughter from the two other females.

"Ah, you two are so cute," May sighed as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

"Thanks," Misty smiled boldly. Her lips bent back into a straight line, however, when she remembered just how sore her back was. "Can I go to the hotel now? I want to take a nap, or at least relax."

"No can do," Dawn answered simply.

"Why not?" Misty folded her arms.

"We've got something to do!" May continued in a sing song voice.

"I'm too tired and sore to do things," Misty furrowed her brow.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Dawn giggled girlishly as she grabbed Misty's hand. "The boys will watch the kids, so you don't have to run after them."

"Yeah, see?" May planted her hands on her hips. "One less thing to do!"

"I wouldn't have to watch after them either if I was _napping_," Misty retorted, with an eye roll thrown in for good measure.

"Misty, just come on," Dawn begged again, her deep blue eyes silently pleading.

"Ugh, fine!" Misty threw her hands down. "I'll go, if it'll get you two to shut up and stop squealing in my ears." The younger girls began to rejoice with one another, causing Misty to groan and rub at her temples. "Just like _that._"

**XXX**

"See Misty? I told you you'd love this!"

Misty let out a soft, throaty approval, but otherwise kept her eyes shut and her body still. The three women had settled on a beautiful beach, where the early April weather was just stunning. A gentle breeze and soothing warmth surrounded the trio, who were now out sunbathing on the sand.

"I've got to get a good tan before the wedding," May commented quietly as she readjusted her sunglasses. "This will _definitely_ work."

"You should've just gotten a spray tan, like me," Dawn noted as she stretched her long arms upwards.

"Not as fun," May quipped.

"I bet Misty agrees with me," Dawn pulled her hot pink sunglasses down the bridge of her nose as she sat up to look over at the gym leader. "Right Misty?"

The only response Dawn got from the red head was a very soft snore.

"Is she asleep?" May pulled herself up now. She lifted her sunglasses off and rested them atop her brunette head in order to study the oldest of the group. Indeed, Misty's eyes were shut as her chest raised and lowered in time with her breathing. Every now and again, an itchy little smile would appear on her face as she murmured a sweet little sound.

"She must be having a nice dream," Dawn giggled fondly. "Guess she really _was_ tired!"

"Of course she was," May put her sunglasses back in place. "Pregnancy is a very tiring condition. You'll learn in time."

"Yeah, not for a _very _long time," Dawn countered with a small huff.

As the younger girls settled into a comfortable silence, a series of high pitched, terrified shrieks caused them to jump up again. The noise even awoke Misty, who was accustomed to being stirred by the sound of crying.

"What in the world is that?" May asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds bad," Misty commented as she rubbed the sleep from her bright green eyes.

"Someone must be in trouble," Dawn murmured quietly before turning her serious gaze onto her friends. "Let's go!"

The three rose from their beach chairs and walked briskly along the ocean front, searching for what could have been the source of the tortured cries. Several feet ahead, May raised her eyes and caught sight of a group of Starly, flying back and forth with contempt in their beady little eyes.

"It must be from over there, where those Starly are!" May alerted, pointing at the flying types.

She hurried over to the scene, Misty and Dawn following closely behind. As the three friends got closer, they soon realized that the Starly were pecking at a curled up, helpless looking Pokémon; the one who was letting out the tortured cries.

"The poor thing!" Dawn frowned.

Misty growled and furrowed her brow as she felt her hands subconsciously ball into tight fists. The fact that the tortured Pokémon appeared to be a water type only boiled her blood even further. Of course, Misty would stand up for any Pokémon that wasn't being treated correctly. But her special bond with water types caused her anger to increase tenfold.

"HEY!" Misty snapped, startling the starling Pokémon. They edged away from the terrified Pokémon, allowing May to get closer to it. "Leave that poor thing alone! It didn't do anything to you! Now GO!"

The Starly took Misty's command very seriously and flew off in the blink of an eye, leaving the disgruntled gym leader to sigh tiredly and unclench her fists.

"Wow Misty…" Dawn blinked, "that was pretty…intense."

Misty let out another short breath and looked over towards Dawn with a devious little smirk. "No one should _ever_ provoke my hormones, Dawn."

"Well, they learned that one the hard way," the bluenette giggled girlishly.

"Oh my gosh you guys!"

Misty and Dawn turned their attention back to May, who was still hovering over the seemingly injured blue heap. The Pokémon's skin was shining in the sun, coated with water from the ocean. Its stubby arms covered its face, and a pair of antennae rested lamely on the small being's back.

"What is it May?" Misty rubbed her upper arms. "Is it okay?"

"I don't know," May answered honestly as she bit her lip, "but…I know what kind of a Pokémon this is."

"Oooh, what kind?" Dawn sounded very excited. "Is it rare?"

"Yeah…"

Dawn let out an interested noise and pulled her shoulders back. "I was kind of kidding, May."

"But I wasn't," May shook her head and looked up at the younger coordinator. "This _is_ a rare Pokémon."

"What is it?" Misty leaned down as much as she could. "I can't tell."

"A Manaphy," May breathed, brushing a strand of brunette hair behind her ear.

"A MANAPHY?" Misty and Dawn shrieked at the same time. Their loud yelps startled the small Pokémon, who quickly unfolded itself and began shaking like a leaf.

"Mana…mana…" it murmured as tears formed in its big blue eyes.

"Oh, what a cutie!" Misty cooed, clasping her hands together. She'd always dreamed of being able to see a Manaphy, especially after Ash told her all about the one that had adopted May as its mother.

"I've never heard of a Manaphy in Sinnoh before!" Dawn beamed. "This is so cool!"

"Mana…phy…" Manaphy was still sobbing, looking between the women fearfully. May frowned at this and gathered the seafaring Pokémon into her arms, gently rocking it.

"It's still so young," May whispered, "just like…_my_ Manaphy was."

"Mana," Manaphy whimpered, the water type's tears starting to dissipate as it stared up at May.

"Hi there sweetie," May smiled, gently stroking the legendary's head. "Aren't you just adorable? I had a friend just like you once!" Manaphy didn't say anything. It simply kept staring at the brunette coordinator with curious eyes.

"It seems to be okay now," Misty commented softly.

Suddenly, the ends of Manaphy's antennae began glowing a bright shade of pink, energy flowing from the tips. The force wrapped around the three female's bodies, giving each of them a little shock. Almost as soon as it had started, the pink light disappeared, and everything seemed to return to normal.

Well, except for one, _small_ detail…

"_Hey!_ Why does my tan look so fake?"

That cry had come from Dawn, but it certainly didn't sound like the bubbly young woman. Instead, it had sounded quite a bit like May.

"Hey, don't call my tan fake looking! I spent good money on that!"

That came from Misty, although her voice was of a higher pitch and slightly more shrill. Just like Dawn.

"Hey…wait a minute…"

Misty's voice floated into the air, but it was coming out of May's mouth. Blinking, Misty let out a sharp cry and leapt to her…or rather _May's_…feet.

"Guys!" Misty yelled again. "We…we're in each other's bodies!"

"What?" Dawn rolled Misty's emerald eyes as she folded her arms. "That's impossible, Misty."

"No it isn't," May answered slowly from her new body. "Manaphy knows a move called heart swap. It gives Manaphy the ability to switch people's souls."

"Their souls?" Dawn repeated.

"Yeah. That's why we all sound and think the same. The only thing we switched was our physical bodies."

Misty curiously looked down at May's body, studying what she was now gifted with. Naturally tanned skin, a slender frame with some apparent muscle, a more ample chest…

"Oh!" Misty gasped cheerfully. She raised a hand to May's stomach, which was flat and toned as a washboard. "Look at that! It's just like my body before I was pregnant!"

"Except for the boobs," May commented smartly. Misty shot the brunette in Dawn's body daggers, which alarmed the older coordinator. "Wow, I never knew my face could pull such an evil look!"

"This is amazing!" Misty squealed, holding Manaphy up in the air. "I look awesome again! No more baby bump for me!"

"Not for now, anyway," May remarked.

"What do you mean _for now?_" Misty pulled May's face into a pout.

"The effects of heart swap are only temporary," May elucidated.

"I better be back in my own body by the wedding!" Dawn threatened.

"You will be, don't worry," May assured. "We should be back in our own bodies by tomorrow morning."

"What a relief," Dawn sighed. She went to take a step, and nearly toppled over.

"Dawn, be careful!" Misty cried, a hand flying up to what was May's head. "I've got a baby in there you know!"

"Yeah, that seems to be the problem," Dawn slumped Misty's shoulders. "Its _really _hard to balance!"

"Welcome to the joys of pregnancy," Misty bent May's lips into a sinister smile. "The next few hours should be a lot of fun for you!"

"Why is everything so sore?" Dawn wailed. "Why am I so hungry? Why do I feel the need to cry? And _why _are you two looking at me like that?"

"How are we looking at you?" May asked curiously.

"Just…I don't know, you are! _STOP_ it!"

"I guess along with my body, Dawn got my hormones," Misty hummed amusedly. "I can _definitely_ live with this."

"It's not funny," Dawn whimpered. She looked down, feeling slightly alarmed when she couldn't quite see her feet. Just when the bluenette thought things couldn't get any more strange, the baby delivered a sharp kick, causing her to let out a scream.

"What's wrong?" Misty wheezed, jumping over to her actual body. Dawn's yell had been so frightful and horrifying, Misty was afraid something was going wrong in her body. Or worse, with the baby.

"She…she kicked…" Dawn stammered, rubbing what was Misty's belly. "And she's strong…"

"Yeah, she is," Misty curved May's lips into a half proud, half sad smile as she reached out to touch her own stomach. "She's already reminding me so much of Ash."

"This is so weird," Dawn murmured, her borrowed blue glowing, emerald eyes clouding over with untraced emotion.

"Guys?" May piped up. Misty and May's bodies, currently being occupied by Dawn and Misty respectively, turned around and looked over at the blue haired coordinator who was speaking with May's voice. "I hate to break up this sweet little moment, but we have a bit of a problem."

"What now?" Misty groaned.

"How are we supposed to explain this to our husbands?" May asked. She looked over at Misty's physical form and added, "well…your husband and mine. And Dawn's fiancé."

"Damn," Misty cursed under her breath. "I didn't think of that."

"Aren't they going to find it strange that our eyes are glowing this weird shade of blue?" Dawn inquired.

"Yes," May nodded, "that's a big part of the problem."

"Do we lie?" Misty raised one of May's eyebrows.

"How can we lie with our eyes like this?" May prompted. "And with our voices switched?"

"I don't know…" Misty glared back at May with the brunette's own eyes.

"I think we should just explain it to them," Dawn suggested. "It would just make things easier."

"But they might get freaked out," May bent Dawn's lips into a frown.

"It won't scare Ash," Misty shrugged May's shoulders. "He's been through one too many situations like this. Nothing freaks him out anymore."

"Well, I know for a fact that Drew would have a panic attack," May sighed.

"Kenny too," Dawn agreed.

"So what do we do?" Misty tried.

May thought carefully for a few moments before she broke Dawn's face out into a huge smile. "Leave it to me! I've got the perfect idea!"

**XXX**

_This might actually work…_Misty thought to herself as she stared into the mirror of the hotel lobby.

While still on the beach, May had grabbed her bag, which had her travel contest case inside of it. As it would turn out, the brunette trapped inside of Dawn's body had several pairs of different colored contacts. She'd taken two sapphire ones: one for Misty and one for herself, and a pair of emerald ones for Dawn. The hued covers had hidden the bright blue glow of their eyes, and the women had also agreed to pretend to be themselves.

"May, are you forgetting about our voices?" Misty asked the coordinator in a low whisper.

"Not at all," May shook Dawn's head. "It's quite simple, actually. All we have to do is pretend we _lost_ our voices."

"Misty…"

The redhead stuck in May's body looked over her shoulder and found her staring back at herself.

"What's wrong Dawn?" Misty posed softly. "Is the baby giving you trouble again?"

"No…" Dawn shook her head slowly. "Well, maybe. I don't know if this is a …pregnancy thing."

"It probably is," Misty placed her fingers under her own chin and lifted her head up. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I…I need to be loved Misty," Dawn furrowed the gym leader's brow. "Just…_so_ badly."

"Yep, that's got to do with it," Misty made May's lips smirk. Suddenly, Dawn's words hit her like a train, and Misty straightened out the brunette's body. "Dawn…you're not asking me if you can…"

Dawn frowned, and then nodded Misty's head shamefully.

"I don't know…" Misty sulked. She knew that technically, that was still her body. But it wasn't her in it. So was that _really_ cheating? It couldn't be. Not when Ash didn't know it was Dawn in her body. And Misty certainly wouldn't hold it against Ash. Not when it was her decision.

"Misty?"

The gym leader in the coordinator's body looked up, her blue contact covered eyes staring deeply into her own face. She gazed down a little and noticed Dawn cradling her stomach lovingly…and motherly. A pang of sadness hit Misty. Setting her eyes back up, Misty sighed inwardly and nodded slowly.

"It's alright," she commented quietly. "I understand."

"Thank you," Dawn replied just as silently. She didn't even seem thrilled with the seal of approval. Misty knew the coordinator felt bad. That was another reason she couldn't be upset with the deal.

"Dawn brings up a good point," May added. "If any of the men try anything on you; hugging, kissing…more than that…I think we should just do it."

"What?" Misty shrieked. May panicked slightly and covered her own mouth, causing Misty to relax herself. "Sorry," she apologized one May removed Dawn's hand, "but…I only gave Dawn permission because I know how hard it is to resist that kind of stuff when you're pregnant. You and I have no excuse, May."

"We don't need one," May stepped into the elevator once it opened, the two other women following suit. "Just…it would be easier. We don't want to appear suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Misty arched one of May's eyebrows. "What, you never deny Drew of his physical wants?"

"No," May answered quickly. This surprised Misty. "Why, you do that to Ash?"

"All the time," Misty shrugged.

"That's terrible," May chuckled.

"I have to keep him in line somehow," Misty bent May's lips into a smile.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and the three friends stepped out and walked over to their perspective doors. Giving each other one last, knowing glance, they ran the key through the module and opened their doors, stepping inside each room with a sense of uncertainty and nervousness.

**XXX**

Dawn walked cautiously into the room that belonged to Ash and Misty. Of course, she appeared to be Misty, so she didn't have to act so careful. She just had to keep her mouth shut was all.

Moving further into the room, she found Ash sitting on the couch watching television with his and Misty's two young children. Michelle was on his lap, resting against his chest as he ran his fingers through her soft ginger hair. Aiden was cuddled up to his father's side, hardly blinking as his eyes stayed glued to the screen. Ash was keeping the boy pressed to his side with his other free hand. Pikachu, the fourth member of this lazy party, was sitting top Ash's head, his beady black eyes also set on the TV.

Dawn cleared her throat to get their attention. She figured doing that wouldn't give away her voice. The four inhabitants of the couch looked towards her, a smile breaking out on all of their faces. This only increased Dawn's guilt as she inwardly grimaced.

"Mommy!" Aiden and Michelle cheered as they jumped away from Ash and bounded towards her. Dawn hedged slightly. She wasn't entirely sure of the limits of Misty's body in this state. But taking note of the warning glance Ash was sending her way, she had a feeling it wasn't too much.

Smiling softly, "Misty" waved at the two young children and blew each of them a kiss.

"Wow Mist, I'm surprised you were able to restrain yourself," Ash chuckled as he got up from the couch and moved towards her. "You usually just pick them up without a care in the world and I have to scold you. Why did you decide to behave today, hmm?"

"Misty" smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"How come you aren't talking?" Ash frowned, suddenly sounding quite concerned.

"Misty" opened her mouth but no sound came out. She wasn't quite sure how to explain that she had lost her voice without…well, talking. In a snap decision, she motioned towards her throat, running her fingers up and down as she put a slightly pained expression on her face.

"Your throat hurts?" Ash asked.

"Misty" made a wavering motion with her hand. Locating a nearby note pad and pen, she grabbed onto them and wrote on the paper: _I lost my voice._

"How?" A small smile was forming on Ash's face.

_Too much fun with the girls, _"Misty" added to the pad, smiling after she did so.

"You're so silly," Ash teased, rubbing "Misty's" cheek. When he was sure the children weren't paying attention, he leaned in and kissed her squarely on the lips, locking his hands around her waist. "Misty" didn't want to kiss him back at first, but the need to was becoming far too overwhelming. She eventually found it in herself to kiss Ash back, albeit lightly and not quite as passionately as he was expecting.

Ash pulled away and blinked at her, his brown eyes looking slightly hurt. "What's wrong sweetheart? You didn't seem too into that."

"Misty" shrugged slightly before coming up with a better excuse. She motioned towards the twins, who were busy chasing Pikachu in and out of bathroom and closets.

"Oh, you're afraid of the kids seeing," Ash murmured to himself. "Misty" beamed and nodded. "That's not a problem," Ash kissed her temple, "I'll make sure they don't see a thing."

"Misty" raised a curious eyebrow. She watched as Ash approached the children, easily gathering the two into his arms where they laughed and squirmed like wild bug Pokémon.

"How would you two like to go see your Aunt Dawn, huh?" Ash asked. "I bet she'll tell you all about the wedding! Secrets!"

"Misty" folded her arms and shot Ash a nasty glare, which he didn't notice at all. _Oh, so when he wants to get it on with Misty_, I'm_ with one who gets stuck with the kids, _Dawn thought incredulously to herself. _I wonder how it's going with the other girls…_

* * *

><p><strong>Good question, Dawn. We'll find out next chapter!<strong>

**I had to cut this one in half, you see. It was getting waaay too long. So this will carry on into next chapter. It wasn't too confusing, was it? Especially when I had to describe Dawn being in Misty's body in front of Ash? I struggled a little bit with how to write those scenes. _Please _let me know what you guys think, because I really don't want to confuse anyone.**

**So, will the girls be switched in time for the wedding? Does Misty miss having her baby? Find out next time!**


	11. Next to Normal

**A new update, finally! I've been so busy with school and college applications I've hardly had any time to write. But I've actually sent in alot of my apps now! Only 4 left :D**

**Last chapter, while preparing for Dawn's wedding, Misty, May, and Dawn find a Manaphy on the beach, and the legendary water type used heart swap on the three. Now they're in each other's bodies, and are trying to keep the temporary switch a secret. So what will happen next? **

* * *

><p>"Stop biting me Rosie! Stop!"<p>

"May" watched in slight horror as Damien grabbed onto his baby sister's hair, pulling at the dark brown locks with way too much force. The little girl shrieked loudly and burst into tears, nearly falling off the couch. Gasping, "May" jumped up and grabbed the little girl, cradling the hysterical child in her arms.

"Damien, are you being a brat again? I swear boy…"

"Daddy I didn't do anything," Damien narrowed his sapphire eyes, not even showing the tiniest bit of remorse for what he'd just done. "Rosie was biting me, so I made her stop."

"She's just a baby," Drew sighed, walking back into the main room, "you shouldn't be doing anything like that to her." Still glaring at his son, Drew flicked a strand of his dark green hair, prompting "May" to roll her eyes. She just couldn't understand how a _grown man _could keep that habit up.

"Well she should stop bein' annoying," Damien argued back calmly.

"Rosie doesn't know what she's doing," Drew moved his hands for emphasis, "she's a _baby._"

Damien simply gave his father an incredulous shrug and an uncaring shrug. Drew groaned quietly and threw his head back.

"Go to bed, son."

"Fine," Damien jumped off the couch and headed towards his bed.

"Brush your teeth first," Drew called without even looking at the boy. Damien whined and stomped off towards the bathroom, causing Drew to smirk. "Crazy kid."

"May" didn't even smile. She just kept staring at Drew, her sapphire eyes trying to make sense of the showy male before her.

"How come you're not talking May?" Drew asked as he raised a slender green eyebrow. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"May" shook her head. Rosie cooed softly, causing "May" to smile and gently rock the little girl back and forth.

"So then why are you being so quiet?" Drew folded his arms. "I don't think I've heard you go this long without speaking for as long as I've known you."

Misty knew she should've pulled May's face into an angry glare at that one, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just agreed with Drew's remark too much. May never _did _shut up.

_I lost my voice, _"May" mouthed, hoping that Drew would be able to read her lips. Judging by the sneaky grin on the young man's face, he'd succeeded.

"No surprise there," Drew flicked his hair again. "May" sighed and rolled her eyes, already tired of Drew's gimmick.

Rosie yawned and rested her head on "May's" shoulder, her bright green eyes beginning to slip closed. Drew chuckled and approached his wife's physical body, taking the small child from her arms.

"Sweet baby Rosie," Drew murmured to the little brunette, "You're sleepy, aren't you?"

"May's" eyes widened in surprise. She'd never seen Drew act so sweet. May had always blabbed on about how great of a father Drew was, but Misty had never seen it for herself. She didn't doubt that Drew was a bad father, of course. His children seemed to adore him, and he did play with them in front of her. But he'd never talked so sweetly in front of her before. Of course, Drew _did _think Misty was actually May, however.

"Let's put you to bed," Drew kissed Rosie's dark brunette head, carrying the toddler over to the crib in the corner of the room. When he was finished putting the girl away and stroking her hair until she fell asleep, Drew whipped around and shot "May" a knowing glance, causing her to raise a curious eyebrow.

"I'm actually surprised you're not more upset over losing your voice," Drew smirked. "You'd usually make a huge deal about it, even though you can't talk."

"May" shrugged and sauntered over to the bathroom, deciding she should check on Damien. Misty could feel her maternal instincts needing attention, and she was going to satisfy the need one way or another. She looked through the door frame and saw Damien trying to hide in the bath tub.

Sighing, "May" approached the tub and leaned over, her eyes narrowed slightly. Damien's sapphire eyes glanced up and he giggled nervously, sitting up until his nose touched what he believed was his mother's.

"Hi Mommy."

"Hmm," the brunette placed her hands on her hips. Damien blushed slightly and sat back down, cocking his head so strands of dark, grassy hair curtained his bright and devious eyes. "May" motioned towards the tub, in a manner that questioned why he was in it.

"I was playing," Damien lied lamely. "May" rolled her eyes and lifted the boy out of the tub, carrying the disgruntled child over to the sink. She picked out the green tooth brush, which she assumed to be Damien's.

"Why are you using Daddy's tooth brush?"

"May" took a sharp inhale and hastily put the brush back. Damien was giving her quite the look, one of bewilderment and disbelief. On the inside, Misty was getting nervous. She couldn't let, of all people, a _child _call her out and blow her cover.

She vigilantly reached for the blue tooth brush, hoping that the second time would be the charm. When Damien didn't protest, Misty knew she'd made the right choice and picked it up. She ran the water in the sink and wet the bristles before squeezing the bright, minty toothpaste onto the brush.

It took awhile to get Damien to cooperate, but he seemed to give up after awhile and Misty, still deftly disguised as May, was able to brush the boy's teeth.

After going through the ordeal, Damien seemed to grow tired. He yawned and snuggled into "May," wrapping his arms around the brunette's slender neck.

"Mommy…" He murmured softly.

"May" smiled and pulled back the covers on Damien's bed, placing the emerald haired boy onto the mattress and tucking him in.

"I love you Mommy," Damien gazed up, his eyes half lidded. "May" smiled sweetly and leaned over to kiss the boy's cheek. After that, it didn't take long for the child to fall asleep.

Feeling satisfied, "May" turned on a heel and, in her state of bliss, nearly walked straight into Drew, who was staring back at his son with surprised eyes.

"May," Drew blinked, "you were able to get Damien to brush his teeth without screaming at him?"

Misty was a little surprised by Drew's disbelief. That was always how she'd gotten Aiden and Michelle to brush their teeth when they were being non-compliant, and it'd always seemed to work.

"I mean, I know you have no voice right now," Drew continued, "but still. He didn't jump at you or anything?"

"May" shot her husband an incredulous look and shook her head.

"You're such a good Mom," Drew looked away slightly and smiled sheepishly. "May" leaned in and noticed the faint glow on his fair cheeks. Giggling behind her hand, "May" lifted his head up and smiled lovingly at the young man. She knew she probably shouldn't have been innocently flirting with him, but he was just acting so sweet. In this situation, Misty knew that May would've gotten all affectionate with her coordinator husband.

Drew chuckled huskily and gently grabbed "May" by her shoulders, pulling the brunette into a deep kiss. Misty was startled by the action at first, and silently debated whether or not to kiss back. When she felt Drew start to frown and retreat, however, she wrapped May's arms around Drew's neck and pressed their lips together. Misty still felt rather guilty, however, so she didn't kiss back with full force.

Drew, however, definitely didn't have the same mindset as what he believed to be his wife. His act quickly became more passionate, and Misty was able to pick up on it. She pushed Drew away, widening May's bright blue eyes.

"What's up?" Drew scratched his head.

"May" whined softly. She wasn't sure of how to tell Drew she didn't want to take it any further. After all, May had said she never denied him of what he wanted. So how was he going to understand that?

Looking around the room, she locked eyes on the sleeping figure of Damien and smiled to herself. That was it!

She looked back at Drew and motioned towards the boy. Drew stood there for a moment before processing what his wife was trying to get across to him.

"Oh, right. The kids."

"May" beamed and nodded quickly. Drew showed off a sneaky smile, one that was nearly identical to his son's. He shuffled over to the boy's bed and picked him up, trying to be very careful as to not wake him up. Drew then moved onto the crib, scooping baby Rosie up with his free arm.

Misty had no idea what Drew was up to. She narrowed May's bright blue eyes and shrugged her arms as if to say _what are you doing?_

"I'm gonna take them to Dawn and Kenny's room," Drew whispered. "I'm sure they'll be fine with watching the kids for a little while. They love them!"

Before "May" could silently protest, Drew was out the door and heading down the hallway.

"I hate this," Misty groaned, throwing her head back. Looking down at May's flat stomach, she grimaced and touched it. "And I miss my baby."

**XXX**

"Since when did our wedding weekend become a personal babysitting service for our friends?"

Kenny was staring wide eyed at Aiden and Michelle, who were currently amassed in a playful pillow fight. Only minutes after being brought in, Damien had woken up, and was now attempting to join in on the sparring. Rosie wasn't asleep anymore either, but at least she was remaining quiet. She was being cuddled in "Dawn's" arms, which made the bluenette's true inhabitant quite happy.

_At least I still get to hold my little girl, _May thought brightly as she brushed through Rosie's dark brown hair. The young child was looking up curiously at the blue haired woman, as if she sensed something was off.

"Dawn?"

Her physical body jolted, and May raised the younger coordinator's blue eyes to her fiancé, who was giving her a bewildered glance. In response, "Dawn" shrugged and continued bouncing the baby.

"You know, you losing your voice is _really _inconvenient," Kenny sighed as he folded his arms behind his head. "Dawn" tilted her head, showing Kenny that she didn't understand what he was talking about.

"It's just bad," Kenny elucidated. "Do you think you'll have it back by the wedding? Please tell me you do."

"Dawn" nodded surely and smiled sweetly at the young coordinator for good measure. He breathed out softly and stared ahead at the children. The two boys looked to be plotting something while Michelle looked on with an agitated expression, one that perfectly matched Misty's.

"Do you ever think about having kids Dawn?"

"Dawn's" eyes widened. She looked cautiously over at Kenny, whose black eyes were carefully studying the kids before them.

_This isn't my place to be answering this question! _May panicked. _I don't know what the hell Dawn thinks about this! I mean sure, she loves my kids and Misty's too, but…_

"Dawn" gave a little shrug and smile, hoping to show Kenny that she was up for anything. It was the only somewhat ambiguous answer May could think of giving.

"I do," Kenny grinned at the children. Michelle was now holding the two boys back by their shirts as they tried to run away. After a few seconds, she smirked and let go, allowing the young males to fall to the floor. "They're just so fun and playful. I actually like it when our friends ask us to babysit their children."

_Good to know, _May thought as she pulled Dawn's lips into a smirk.

"I kind of want a girl too," Kenny continued. Now this _really _caught "Dawn's" attention. On the inside, May was highly intrigued. Ash and Drew adored their daughters, that much was true. But May knew for a fact that Ash had tended to lean towards having boys, and from her own experience, Drew had always hoped for sons.

"Dawn" tilted her head in a questioning manner, hoping that Kenny would explain why he preferred a girl.

"I would love to pass on all of my contest tips, and I bet you would too," Kenny elucidated. "Not every girl wants to be a coordinator, that's true, but it'd be even harder with a boy. Besides, Ash and Drew fawn over their daughters like they're the only people in the world. I want to be able to do that too. And she'd probably be really beautiful, and look just like you."

"Dawn" cooed softly and rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing her cheek against his body. In her arms, Rosie let out a little yawn and leaned forward, her eyes beginning to fall.

"Rosie is falling asleep," Kenny lowered his voice, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "Dawn" lowered her eyes and saw the young girl beginning to doze off.

Breathing out, she stood up and walked over to the little pop up playpen that Drew had brought into the room along with the children. Giggling quietly, she kissed the sleepy child's forehead before putting the baby down in her playpen. Rosie yawned again before turning her head to the side and completely shutting her eyes, her little fingers flexing gently as she relaxed.

"Dawn" sighed and moved back to the couch, her sapphire eyes unconsciously set on her fiancé. Kenny simply smiled at the young brunette and held a hand out to her. Blinking, "Dawn" accepted it and gasped slightly as she was pulled down onto the brunet coordinator's lap. Kenny chuckled and wrapped his arms around "Dawn," gently kissing her neck.

"I know we should put the other ones to bed," Kenny murmured, "but I don't want to. They're having too much fun."

"Dawn," in turn, simply nodded. She liked watching it too. And she knew that one day Kenny would make an excellent father, and Dawn an excellent mother.

_That will be a lucky baby, _May thought lightly. _He or she will be very happy with these two as parents._

**XXX**

"Hmmm…"

Misty's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at the ceiling. She was a little cold, and could feel the air conditioned breeze hitting her exposed arms. She must've been wearing a tank top. Where was she? Was she still in May and Drew's room?

There was a big, strong hand resting on her stomach. Her midsection felt much heavier than it had last night while she was in May's body. Had she gotten up and gone sleep eating? May had said before that she suspected she did that sometimes.

And then Misty felt the kick.

"Oh my…" Misty breathed, gently touching the side of her stomach. It was swollen, and she could feel something against her palm.

_I'm back in my own body! _Misty cheered inwardly. It had been nice not being pregnant for a few hours, but seeing Dawn touching and fawning over her own stomach put a special kind of pain in Misty's heart. She'd missed her baby _tremendously. _

Looking over to the right, Misty caught sight of Ash, who was still fast asleep. His unruly midnight locks were tousled over his closed eyes. He had fallen asleep without a shirt on, and the covers were right below his strong chest.

Misty smiled to herself and reached out to brush his cheek. The slight tickle caused Ash to twitch and slowly open his eyes. He set the bright russet orbs on his wife, and smiled brightly back at her.

"Hey there Mist," Ash greeted tiredly. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Misty murmured back, causing Ash to gasp.

"You got your voice back!"

Misty was shocked into silence for a moment before smiling and nodding her head.

"I'm so happy to hear your voice again," Ash's warm smile caused Misty's heart rate to accelerate. "I missed it."

Misty held one of her hands out towards Ash. He seemed to understand the gesture as he grabbed hold and pulled her into him, making sure to be careful of her stomach. He wrapped his arms around her, lightly kissing the side of her face and softly sighing against her milky skin.

"You're so nice and warm," Misty piped up in a still sleepy voice. Her body was pressed against Ash's, the heat radiating from his own skin onto her own. She purred quietly and buried her head into his neck.

"How's our little girl?" Ash asked after a rather lengthy, but comfortable, silence. His hand was still pressed against Misty's stomach. "I feel her moving around."

"She's awake," Misty replied slowly. "I think she's just fine. I wish she'd move around _just _a little more, though."

"Why?" Ash frowned. "Are you worried about her?"

"No," Misty bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't have said anything to that affect. Ash was going to get nervous about the baby's health now. But Misty couldn't just come out and say she'd missed feeling the baby move the night before. "I just…like to feel it is all. I want her to kick me more."

Ash chuckled softly. "Let me see what I can do."

He sat up, showing off his full figure. Ash was quite solid with apparent muscles that Misty admired every time she saw them. His chest looked the strongest, although his stomach was also rigid and well toned.

Still smirking, Ash shuffled closer to Misty and leaned down so he was looking right down at her belly. "Hi there baby girl," Ash greeted in a sweet, baby friendly voice. "You know who I am, don't you?"

As if on cue, the unborn baby started kicking up a storm, causing Misty to smile and reach up for her stomach.

"She adores you," Misty cooed in awe.

"Well, she adores my _voice," _Ash blushed slightly.

"No, she definitely loves you," Misty shook her head. "I can tell. Once you start talking to her she bounces around like crazy."

"Well, Daddy loves you too," Ash addressed Misty's bump again, giving it a kiss for good measure.

"I'm surprised Aiden and Michelle haven't woken up yet," Misty mused as Ash continued to rub her belly. "They'd usually be jumping on the bed right about now."

"Mist, don't you remember?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Remember what?" Misty asked innocently.

"I took Aiden and Michelle over to Dawn and Kenny's room," Ash glanced up at his wife, "you know, so we could…have some time alone?"

Misty's breath hitched, and her eyes widened slightly. "We have to go get them."

"Why? They're fine, Mist. Dawn and Kenny love them, and they haven't called me to complain or anything."

"No, Ash," Misty vigorously shook her head as she sat up. "I want my babies back."

"O…okay," Ash seemed a little thrown off by Misty's edginess. "I'll go get them. Just relax, okay angel?"

Misty breathed out heavily and nodded. Ash brushed through her hair just once before getting off the bed and scouring the floor for something. He let out a small noise of triumph upon locating it, and when he held it up, Misty could see it was the white shirt he must've thrown off during the night.

"Not a good idea to go out of the room without this on, huh?" Ash chuckled before throwing it over his head.

"I wouldn't mind," Misty smirked at her husband. "Although I don't think I want to share that view with anyone else."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Ash threw a playful grin at Misty.

"Aren't you going to put pants on?" Misty surveyed Ash's red striped boxers. The Pokémon master looked down as well before shaking his head and shrugging.

"Nah. These _are_ my pants."

Misty arched an eyebrow and leaned back against the bed's headboard. "Please don't teach our son what is and isn't acceptable in public, okay honey?"

Ash reached for the doorknob and winked at the flustered red head. "No promises."

**XXX**

"I can't believe that none of them caught on."

"That's because we're such good liars!"

"I don't think that can be considered a good thing, Dawn."

May and Misty were sitting on either side of Dawn, dressed up in their light pink bridesmaid dresses. The brunette coordinator, who looked like a modern day princess in her white A-line wedding dress, was resting a white satin glove covered hand on Misty's burgeoning stomach, and the gym leader didn't even think of protesting.

"You liked carrying my baby, didn't you?"

Dawn carefully eyed Misty, who was now smirking at her younger friend. Dawn blushed slightly, and it took her a moment to answer.

"I did, actually. It was one of the most amazing feelings I've ever had in my life. But I bet you missed her."

"Very badly," Misty held the underside of her bump. "I liked not having all that extra weight and the other problems for a while, but then I realized just how much I missed feeling her inside of me. I assume you let Ash talk to her last night?"

"Yeah, he really likes doing that," Dawn giggled. "And she gets excited when he talks to her too! I thought it was so sweet."

"I'm sure you and Kenny will make wonderful parents one day," May commented. "I was thinking that last night when I got to babysit mine and Misty's kids last night with him."

"Damien is a bit of trouble, isn't he?" Misty smirked at the brunette.

"Yeah, but he's _my _trouble," May winked with a girlish giggle. "I can't believe you got him to brush his teeth without him putting up a fight!"

"I'm used to it, with Aiden and Michelle," Misty smiled. "They're mine and Ash's children; stubborn as can be. I love them dearly, but it's true. So I know how to deal with it."

"You three have been awfully chatty about whatever it is you're talking about," a new voice broke in. The three girls looked up and found Iris approaching the table. She was wearing the same dress as Misty and May, and was holding a champagne glass in her hand. Pulling out the chair next to Misty, she sat down and inquired, "Are you ever going to let me in on this little secret?"

"Maybe," Dawn smirked, "if you _promise_ to keep it a secret!"

"Now you know I'm not much of a blabber," Iris waved a haphazard hand, "especially when it comes to Cilan!"

All four women began to laugh, although Misty stopped before her counterparts. There was a strange feeling going through her belly; an energy rush of sorts. Misty separated from Dawn and stood up rather abruptly, bewildering her friends.

"Everything okay Misty?" May asked curiously.

"Fine," Misty lied, her heart racing in concern. "I just wanna go see Ash. I have a…a question for him."

"Okay," Dawn shrugged slightly. "Should we tell Iris the story or wait for you to come back?" At this, Dawn smirked sneakily, causing May to laugh wildly.

"You can tell her," Misty smiled weakly. "Don't hold it out any longer. I'll be back in a little bit."

She hurried away from the table, her hand protectively pressed against her ever growing stomach. Somehow, Misty knew this had something to do with the aura. She just _knew _it.

A sense of relief washed over the gym leader when she found Ash hanging around the bar with Brock. She quickly approached the raven haired man and gently tugged on his suit jacket, alarming the handsome celebrity figure.

"Mist, you scared me," Ash let out a sharp breath, closing his eyes for just a moment. When he reopened them, he started directly into Misty's emerald orbs and asked, "What is it sweetheart?"

"I need to talk to you," Misty pressed in a hushed whisper. Ash could feel the abruptness in Misty's voice, and it caused him to furrow his brow slightly.

"Are you okay?"

"I…I don't know," Misty slowly shook her head, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"Do you guys need to be alone?" Brock inquired, reaching out to gently rub Misty's back in a caring and brotherly manner.

"If you wouldn't mind," Misty looked over her shoulder, her cheeks reddening. Brock smiled gently and nodded, standing up in order to give Ash a little bob of his head.

"I'll go see what the twins are up to for you," Brock chuckled. "Make sure they're not doing anything Ash-esque."

"You're not funny Brocko," Ash called teasingly as the Pokémon doctor walked away. When neither little snipe made Misty giggle, however, Ash knew something wasn't right. "Wow Mist. Every time Brock takes a dig at me you laugh like it's the greatest thing you've ever heard. Something must really be bothering you."

A small sob escaped from Misty's lips. Ash clicked his tongue and jumped up, pulling Misty's head into his chest. He didn't want anyone to see her crying. Even worse, _he_ didn't want to see her crying. "Tell me what's the matter babe. Come on, I don't like to see you so upset."

"I think something's wrong," Misty murmured tearfully.

"With the baby?" Ash began to panic.

"No, not with the baby. She's alright; kicking and stuff. It's something else."

"Oh," Ash scratched his head. "Then what is it?"

"I just have this…feeling in my stomach," Misty still had her hand held against her bump. "It's the same feeling I got when the baby used aura. But this time…I feel like it's telling me that something is wrong."

"Like a premonition?" Ash whispered.

"Maybe, I don't know," Misty let out another weep as her shoulders sagged. "I'm so scared Ash. I'm scared for our baby, and for our family. I just know that something isn't right!"

"I'm sure you're just getting anxious," Ash tried to soothe his worked up wife. "Don't think about it Misty, okay? You know I'm always gonna protect you, and this family. Just relax, okay?" He kissed the top of her head and laid his own hand on the side of her midsection. "Don't cry. I'm right here, I always will be. Nothing bad will happen."

As Misty began to calm down, Ash sighed inwardly and looked off into space. What if Misty's sensations were right? Aura was a very powerful thing; it wasn't to be taken lightly. If Misty was getting those feelings from deep within her, then they may be accurate.

What if something bad was _really_ going to happen?

* * *

><p><strong>Will Misty's fears be justified? Is something bad really going to happen? <strong>

**You'll have to find out next chapter! Which, by the way, I hope to get out a little faster than this one. With a few breaks coming up, it may be a possibility!**

**Thanks for all of the suppourt so far. All of the reviews and great responses really keep me going, and I'm glad to know people are really into this story! It means alot, so thanks :D Until next time!**


	12. Striking Back

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter! I'm quite proud of this one. It starts off rather sweet and lighthearted, but by the end of the chapter, you definitely won't be getting that same vibe. We're getting into the climax of the story now, so enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Ugh, I can't believe the gym inspection has to be <em>today.<em>"

Ash frowned at his wife, who was tiredly leaning against the counter with her head down and eyes shut. She let out a downtrodden sigh before halfway opening her eyes and immersing herself into deep thought.

"I don't know if I want you doing this Mist," Ash warned from his seat at the kitchen table. "You know the inspection involves you walking around the gym along with the inspector, answering questions and all that. I don't want you putting any extra stress on your body."

"Well I go back to battling in two days, so I better start getting used to it," Misty turned around, staring down her concerned husband.

"That's another thing," Ash rubbed the side of his face. He hadn't shaved for a few days because he was too busy taking care of and worrying over Misty. The fact that it took quite awhile for the affects of Ash not shaving to appear anyway was a real testament to the fact that he had been ignoring this small chore. "Is you battling such a good idea?"

"I'll be _fine _Ash," Misty grunted in annoyance. "_Somebody_ in this family needs to get back to work."

"Damnit Misty," Ash threw his head back. "You make it sound like I enjoy being suspended or something! The past two weeks have killed me; I don't know if I can make it through another two."

"First of all, I thought you frowned upon swearing in front of the baby," Misty smirked as she patted her bump. Ash blushed at the realization, but said nothing in response. "And secondly, I know you don't like it. But you did the deed, and now you have to pay for it."

Ash groaned and folded his arms on the table, resting his head atop them.

"Besides," Misty continued sweetly, "it gives you some extra time with Aiden and Michelle. I'm sure they love being with you, especially with the baby on the way. They're going to have to share you soon enough."

Ash only responded with a muffled noise. Playfully rolling her eyes, Misty approached the disgruntled Pokémon master and sat down on his lap.

"Oof!" Ash huffed, finally lifting his head. He was met with the slightly perturbed face of Misty, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in query.

"What was that noise about?" Misty deadpanned. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Hmm…no!" Ash quickly replied, his eyes widening. "Not at all babe. I'm not implying anything."

"You think I'm fat, don't you?" Misty pressed on.

"Oh Misty, always with the "fat" accusation," Ash sighed, resting his cheek against her arm. "I would never, ever think of you as fat. You're pregnant. Its two totally different things. You're still the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Really?" Misty's lips slowly bent into a smile.

"Yes, really," Ash cooed, gently pulling down Misty's head so he could give her a kiss on the lips.

"Mmm," Misty moaned happily before pulling away. "I have to go over to the gym now. The inspector should be here any minute."

"Just be careful, okay honey?" Ash pleaded quietly.

"Of course," Misty ruffled Ash's already messy black mane. "I'm going to try and get this done as quickly as possible."

She stood up, Ash standing along with her. He pulled her into a tight embrace to deliver another sweet kiss to the gym leader's lips. Misty wanted to melt in his strong, secure arms. Ash was being so sweet this morning that it killed her to have to leave.

"Ash, seriously, I have to go," Misty moaned against his mouth. Ash chuckled huskily, obviously knowing that his wife was seriously detesting having to go to her inspection.

"I know you do," Ash pressed one final kiss to her neck, right atop where her pulse was beating wildly. "Go on."

Misty threw Ash one last smile before heading out the door and over to the gym. Just as she was approaching the building's glass doors, Misty caught sight of Mr. Andrews, the league's Kanto region gym inspector.

Pulling her shoulders back, Misty turned around and greeted as brightly as she could manage, "good morning Mr. Andrews. Lovely day isn't it?"

"Yes," Mr. Andrews mumbled mindlessly. His eyes were locked on Misty's rapidly growing belly, causing the gym leader some insecurity. She cleared her throat, which effectively snapped the middle aged man out of his trance.

"Sorry about that," Mr. Andrews smiled sheepishly at the rather un amused red head. "It's just…you've certainly grown since our last encounter."

"Yes, well that tends to happen when you're pregnant," Misty's brow twitched slightly as she rested a protective hand atop her bump. She didn't really have any special dislike for the inspector, but when it came to people discussing her weight; Misty was typically less than thrilled.

"Well, what do you say we start this inspection?" Mr. Andrews smiled gently at her. Misty let out a breath and nodded, leading Mr. Andrews into the Cerulean City gym.

**XXX**

"Higher, Daddy! Higher!"

Ash laughed along with his daughter as he laid on his back, lifting the girl into the air. Her arms were hanging down towards him as she was raised up, although every now and then she would hold them out as if to imitate the act of flying.

"What kind of Pokémon do you think I am, Daddy?" Michelle asked.

"Hmm, let me see…" Ash playfully thought aloud as he lowered Michelle so she was only halfway up. "Well, you're a very pretty thing. And you're also my little girl. I'd like to think of you as a Swablu!"

"They're so fluffy!" Michelle shrieked in excitement.

Chuckling, Ash lowered Michelle all the way down. She was now resting atop him, her head nestled snuggly between his neck and shoulder.

"Put me up again Daddy," Michelle requested after a few moments of rest.

"Only if you give me a kiss first," Ash turned his head to smirk at the little girl.

Michelle inched a little closer to her father so her head was right next to his. Tilting her head, she pressed her little lips against his cheek, giving him as big a kiss as she could manage.

"Mwah!" Michelle finished dramatically as she pulled away from her father's cheek.

"Wow, what a nice kiss!" Ash cooed, lifting the girl back into the air just as he'd promised he would. "That was very sweet of you baby girl."

"Your cheeks are scratchy," Michelle complained. She raised one of her hands up to her mouth, gently rubbing her lips. "I don't like that."

"Sorry princess," Ash frowned sympathetically. "I forgot to shave. Maybe I'll do it later, because your Mommy doesn't like it either."

"It's not nice," Michelle agreed.

"Hey Daddy."

Ash felt someone poking the top of his head. He rolled his eyes back and found Aiden kneeling behind his head, the boy's small finger prodding at his scalp.

"Hey champ," Ash blinked. "What's up?"

"Can we play a game?" Aiden inquired. "I came up with a good one."

"Sure buddy," Ash smiled. He lowered Michelle onto his stomach and sat up, causing the girl to whine sadly. "Sorry princess. But you and I have been playing for quite awhile. It's Aiden's turn now."

"But that's only because he didn't want to play with us," Michelle accused. The disgruntled face she made afterwards was a perfect match for that of her mother.

"I know, but he found a game he wants to play now," Ash patted his daughter's head. "It's only fair sweetie."

"You can play too Shelly," Aiden tried, shrugging his little shoulders.

"There you go!" Ash beamed at the still annoyed little girl. "We can all play together! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I guess," Michelle sighed, although a little smile was soon gracing her young and beautiful face. "What game are we going to play, Aiden?"

"I wanna play swords," Aiden grinned. "I'm gonna be the hero, and Daddy is gonna be the bad guy."

"What about me?" Michelle was scowling now.

"You can be the princess I have to rescue," Aiden suggested.

"Okay," Michelle jumped off of Ash. "Where do I go?"

"Climb up into the window in the living room!" Aiden called as he ran off to retrieve the toy swords. "We can pretend that it's the tower Daddy put you in."

"I would never put my little girl in a tower!" Ash gasped playfully.

"But you're the bad guy in the game, Daddy," Aiden replied very seriously. "So you have to!"

"If you insist buddy," Ash chuckled, getting up to his feet. He watched as his two children scampered off in different directions, preparing for Aiden's well thought out game. "What should I do in the meantime, Pikachu?"

"Ka," Pikachu sighed. He was sleeping on the nearby couch and didn't seem to want to be disturbed, even by his trainer.

"Okay, guess I'll just sit here and wait for Aiden," Ash shrugged, sitting down on the couch next to his electric type.

**XXX**

"Look sir! There's the little girl!"

Loki grunted in annoyance at his assistant's disruption, but the silver haired man soon processed his inferior's words.

"I do assume you mean the one we already tried to steal?"

"The very same."

Loki pulled the binocular system away from Castor, causing the navy haired man to pull back and frown slightly. Loki set his sights on Michelle, who was sitting in the window sill and looking out into the room.

"Excellent," Loki murmured. "So we know they're in the house."

"You're not just going to go for the girl again, are you?" Castor prodded.

"No, do I look stupid to you?" Loki sneered as he pulled away from the binoculars. Castor gulped and quickly shook his head. Breathing out, Loki continued, "now that I know what they're capable of, I've thoroughly planned ahead. I'm going to get both children this time."

"But how?" Castor asked quietly.

"I have my ways," Loki narrowed his emotionless, steel grey eyes. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Just stay here like the good, albeit useless, little servant you are and make sure I receive a proper getaway."

"Yes Master Loki," Castor muttered, watching intently as the older man turned on a heel and marched off, accounting for all of the poke balls resting on his belt.

**XXX**

"Try as you may, brave knight, but you'll never get to the princess!"

Aiden glared at his sword wielding father, who was standing guard in front of the window sill where Michelle sat. For someone who was nice to everyone he met and didn't have a single bad bone in his body, Ash was pretty good at playing the part of the bad guy. He'd witnessed enough of them to imitate the act, after all.

"I will, you'll see!" Aiden cried, pointing his own toy sword at the older male.

"Would a foolish knight such as yourself really start a sword fight with an evil…" Ash paused as he tried to come up with a good title for himself, "magician such as myself?"

"Magician?" Aiden repeated, laughing as he broke out of his character. Ash tried to hold back his own fit of laughter, but it was no use. He too broke character and began chuckling along with his young son.

"Ha! I tricked you!" Aiden called out. He ran towards Ash and began hitting him in the legs with his toy saber. Ash yelped playfully and tried to hold Aiden back, but it was no use. Aiden's assault with the plastic sword was too great, even for the Pokémon master.

"Oh no, you got me!" Ash cried dramatically. He fell to the ground and moaned a little bit for extra affect before closing his eyes and sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth.

"Yay, I killed him!" Aiden cheered. He jumped up onto the couch and then into the window sill, where he sat proudly next to his sister. "And I rescued the princess and her prized Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu commented from atop Michelle's head.

"You make a very good bad man Daddy," Michelle smirked.

The Pokémon master popped up, his chocolate brown eyes gleaming. "You think so Shelly?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle nodded. Pikachu jumped off her head and into her lap, clapping his little paws together as if to applaud his trainer's performance.

"Can we play this again later Daddy?" Aiden asked. "I want Mommy to play too!"

"She might be too tired to play champ," Ash frowned.

"Mommy's gettin' really big," Michelle piped up.

"Don't let her know that princess," Ash quickly shook his head. "She'll get really upset if she hears that."

"Okay, I won't say anything," Michelle's eyes widened slightly. She certainly didn't want to upset her mother.

"But she's only gettin' bigger cause the baby's gettin' bigger, right?" Aiden blinked.

"That's right," Ash nodded.

"So why would she get upset?" Aiden drew his legs into his chest.

"Because Mommy is very sensitive right now," Ash explained. "Her feelings get hurt really easily. If you tell her she looks bigger, she thinks you're calling her fat."

"How do you know?" Michelle inquired.

"Err…let's just say I have some experience in that department," Ash chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

**XXX**

_Hmm, this seems to be an excellent spot to continue with my mission._

Loki was leaning against the side of the house, a devious smile plastered on his face. He selected one of his poke balls and enlarged the sphere, pressing the center button so it opened and emitted a ray of light. The beam soon formulated into a Salamence.

The large dragon Pokémon glanced at its master, small puffs of smoke shooting out from its nostrils. In turn, Loki smirked and looked towards the window, where he spotted Ash playing with his two young children. Their little smiles, the jovial laughter he could hear coming through the glass…

"They won't be in such high spirits when I succeed," Loki turned back towards Salamence. "Use dragon tail on the window. Break it up. And try not to hurt any of them. Just startle them; garner some attention. And then prepare to battle."

Salamence's only response was through a low growl. Its tail began to glow a bright shade of white. With a small flap of its wings, Salamance was up in the air, just hovering above the ground. With another puff of smoke, Salamence spun around and whipped his tail at the window. Only the end of his tail connected the glass, and with just enough force to shatter the glass.

Loki watched in pleasure as the two children shrieked in horror, their father gasping and pulling them away from the damaged window.

"And so it begins," Loki murmured, stepping away from the side of the house to put himself into a better view.

**XXX**

"Aw man, Misty is _not _going to be happy about that," Ash groaned as he stared at the shattered window.

The two crying children in his arms quickly tore him away from that problem, however. Ash quickly moved on to try and comfort the startled children, bouncing them up and down while kissing their heads.

"Don't worry you two, everything will be alright."

Aiden and Michelle only continued their hysterics, showing no sign of stopping anytime soon. Ash looked back up at the window and glared at it.

_That was not random, glass doesn't just break on its own, _Ash thought darkly. _Someone is definitely behind this, and I'm going to find out who. No one targets my family and gets away with it._

"Pikachu, stay here with Aiden and Michelle," Ash instructed strongly. "Take them somewhere safe."

"Pika?" Pikachu asked worriedly. _Where?_

"Try the attic," Ash replied. Pikachu nodded, gently nudging at the two terrified children.

"Pipika, Pipikachu," Pikachu beckoned softly. The twins kept on sniffling, but eventually turned their heads in order to stare down at the electric mouse.

"Go with Pikachu you two," Ash murmured as he put the children down on the floor. "I'm going outside to see what's up."

"Daddy, no!" Michelle cried, jumping up for him. Ash frowned and wrapped his arms around the young girl, giving her one last hug before putting her back down and standing up.

"I won't be gone long sweetheart," Ash comforted. "And Pikachu is going to protect you and Aiden."

Aiden and Michelle were looking up at their father with tear filled eyes, and didn't dare say a word. Ash gave them both a small nod before running off towards the door, determination locked in his russet eyes.

He ran outside and stood in the walkway, head switching from side to side. Ash knew something was up, and he swore to himself he'd spend all day looking for the source of the attack.

"I know you're out here," Ash barked gruffly. "Show yourself!"

The sound of rustling bushes could be heard, causing Ash's breath to get caught in his throat. He took a cautious step forward and nervously reached towards his belt, preparing to grab a poke ball if need be. Almost as soon as it began, the rustling noises came to a halt, and the air was still once more.

"Hello?" Ash called unsurely.

"Greetings, Pokémon master. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Ash's head snapped forward. His dark brown eyes narrowed and a deep growl came from within him. The amount of anger that filled Ash upon seeing this man was indescribable. It was an anger that Ash never thought he could be capable of.

"You have a lot of damn nerve showing up here after what you did to my daughter," Ash bit. "I ought to kill you."

"Perhaps," Loki mused, his grey eyes rolling in shallow thought. "But you aren't bold enough to do that, Pokémon master. I know for a fact you would never harm another living creature, yet alone another human being."

"Maybe you'd be the first," Ash retorted quietly. Loki had a point; Ash would never be able to hurt even the worst person in the world. Right now, however, he wished he had it in him.

"I doubt that," Loki finished his challenge with a little smirk.

"You broke that window, didn't you?" Ash nodded towards the shattered glass.

"Not me, no," Loki chuckled as he shook his head. "No, that was the fine work of my Salamence. All I did was tell him what to do. He's a very obedient thing, very strong. Not even a Pokémon master such as yourself could take him on."

"Try me," Ash could feel his cheeks reddening. "I'll destroy that thing. And then I'll destroy you. Or you can just run away now like the coward you are."

"I'm no coward, dear master," Loki continued grinning, which only further infuriated Ash. "Running for me would never be an option."

"Then I've got a nice surprise for you," Ash showed off a mocking smile. He plucked one of his poke balls and enlarged it, shifting his eyes off to the side and beaming proudly at the sphere. "I've just recalled one of my best Pokémon. He'll make your Salamence look like a weak little Caterpie."

"It's such a nice fantasy world you live in," Loki chuckled slightly. "It's really too bad I must shatter it for you."

With a snap of his fingers, the large, teal colored dragon appeared, puffing smoke out of his nostrils. The appearance of Salamance didn't even deter Ash. He simply pressed the center button and released his own Pokémon, the one he knew for a fact could take on Salamence without a problem.

"Let's see if you can handle my Charizard," Ash replied smartly, furrowing his brow.

The big, orange fire type glared at his foe. Charizard looked down on every single one of his opponents, but the fact that this particular one was also a dragon only made Charizard despise him even more.

"Salamence, I assume you can take care of this minor nuisance?" Loki inquired with a non caring tone. In turn, Salamence roared loudly and gave a strong flap of his wings.

"You're going down!" Ash stormed. "Charizard, fire spin!"

Charizard let out a ferocious cry and unleashed a stream of swirling fire from his mouth. Salamence just started at the oncoming flames, eyes narrowed in concentration while reflecting an uncaring stance.

"How tame," Loki muttered. Clearing his voice, he called, "Salamence, use crunch, won't you?"

Salamence flew up above the fire spin attack and right towards Charizard. He swooped down, opening his mouth to reveal a set of glowing white fangs. Effortlessly, Salamence bit down in Charizard's neck, causing the orange dragon to cry out in pain and go crashing to the ground.

"Charizard!" Ash yelled in concern. There was no way that one crunch attack could knock out Charizard. He was just _way_ too powerful. "Come on!"

Just as Ash had suspected, Charizard got right back up in the air, his face only looking angrier after Salamence's attack.

"Ah, so he _is_ powerful," Loki stroked his chin.

"Of course he is," Ash narrowed his eyes. "Don't be a moron."

"Me? A moron?" Loki let out an evil laugh. "You do realize that _you_ are the one accusing me of that, correct Pokémon master?"

Ash growled before barking, "Charizard, wing attack! Don't show Salamence any mercy!"

Charizard burst forward, his large wings glowing the same shade of white that Salamence's fangs had just portrayed. He tilted to the left and cut Salamence right across his teal colored body, causing the half dragon type to yelp in pain.

Loki huffed quietly, not showing any concern for his hit Pokémon. "Oh please. Salamence, use dragon tail."

Salamence recovered rather quickly and, within seconds, threw his glowing tail at Charizard. The fire type didn't have any time to react before being hit square in the face and once again sent barreling to the ground.

"No!" Ash yelled, his hands balling into fists at his side.

"This is our second battle now and it's almost worse than the first," Loki bemoaned. Setting his gleaming gray eyes on Ash, he remarked, "really, how is such a failure like you the Pokémon master?"

"You're going to be so sorry, I swear!" Ash screamed. Looking down at his Pokémon, he ordered, "Charizard, get up! And blast Salamence with heat wave!"

Charizard got back up, albeit more slowly than before. Wincing slightly, he blew out a thin screen of blazing hot fire. It enshrouded both Salamence _and_ Loki, which technically wasn't supposed to happen. Ash didn't particular mind Charizard's gaffe, however. He probably sensed how much Ash hated the stupid silver haired man, and had included him in the attack on purpose. When the fiery partition disappeared, however, both Loki and Salamence were gone, greatly concerning Ash.

"Where the hell did they go?" Ash hissed.

**XXX**

"Misty, the gym is looking excellent! Now I see why you've had such an increase in challengers over the past year."

"Thank you sir," Misty smiled sheepishly. "I take every opportunity I can to improve the facilities. It's good to stay up to date, you know?"

"Indeed, I do," Mr. Andrews beamed and nodded. He looked around the gym one last time before scribbling some more notes onto his notepad.

Misty was glancing her emerald eyes downward, hoping to catch a little glimpse of whatever it was Mr. Andrews was writing. She had both hands resting on her stomach, occasionally giving it a comforting rub. About midway through the inspection, the baby must've woken up, because she'd been kicking relentlessly. Misty felt every jab, every movement, and she was actually beginning to grow tired of it.

"Did I pass?" Misty finally piped up, especially after Mr. Andrews threw her a little smirk.

"Yes, with flying colors," Mr. Andrews confirmed. Misty grinned and took her hands off of her belly to clap. The baby kicked as hard as she could, clearly not pleased over the loss of her mother's attention. Gasping softly, Misty put her hands back, looking down at her bump as she did so.

"I just have…_one_ concern," Mr. Andrews broke Misty out of her revere. His face was emotionless, which caused Misty's lips to bend into a frown.

"What is it?" Misty blinked. "Did you see something wrong with the gym?"

"No," Mr. Andrews shook his head. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Mr. Andrews cleared his throat and gazed up almost nervously at the water type gym leader. "How far along are you, Misty?"

Misty wasn't entirely sure of what Mr. Andrews had meant until she noticed him motioning towards her belly. "Oh. About five and a half months. Why?"

"You won't be able to battle much longer. It's getting closer and closer to your due date…and that baby is growing rather quickly."

Misty felt one of her eyebrows twitch, but she wasn't about to disagree with the man. As much as she _hated _people commenting on her weight, and at the moment she still wanted to slap the inspector, he was right. For someone who was only five and a half months along, she _was_ pretty big.

"Why is that a concern though?" Misty pressed.

"Who's going to run the gym while you're gone? Or at least help you out?" Mr. Andrews sighed sadly. "I'd hate to see this gym go downhill."

"It won't," Misty laughed dryly. "I'll keep battling for as long as I can. Just because I'm…huge doesn't mean I can't battle. I'm not impaired in that department, despite what my husband will try to tell you. And when it comes time, I'll go on maternity leave, just like last time." Finishing up with a smirk, Misty added, "the young trainers of Kanto can wait for a gym battle with the tomboyish mermaid for a few weeks, now can't they?"

"I suppose so," Mr. Andrews showed Misty a little smile.

"Besides, I have my assistant Justin helping me out at the moment. He's not here today, but he's a very sweet and helpful young man. This gym will be just fine."

"I trust you," Mr. Andrews affirmed. "Congratulations my dear."

"Oh, thank you," Misty blushed slightly as she smiled down at her midsection.

"I meant on passing the inspection," Mr. Andrews chuckled.

"Oh!" Misty looked up, a heavy blush resting on her cheeks.

"But congratulations on that too," he nodded towards her stomach, chuckling at the gym leader's little mix up.

"Thank you," Misty repeated, a girlish giggle escaping from her lips.

Mr. Andrews decided to leave from the back, and Misty went out the front glass doors, her usual way. She sighed as she tiredly rubbed the back of her neck. Misty couldn't wait to just get home and see her family. Gym inspections were dull; her family _never_ was. Misty just knew that Ash would be standing near the door, excited to find out the results of the inspection, and the twins would be jumping up and down, eager to play with her.

Walking in front of the house, Misty noticed one of the windows was broken. She narrowed her eyes, not overly thrilled with that sight.

"What the hell did Ash do now?" Misty muttered under her breath. She didn't even want to know what game Ash was playing with Aiden and Michelle to cause _that. _"I'm not fixing it. He better be aware of that."

Misty opened the front door and walked into the living room. It was dead silent, which concerned Misty even more. After a few seconds, there were still no footsteps, no excited shrieks and squeals, and no Pokémon crying out happily in their own language.

"Ash?" Misty called. No response. "Aiden? Michelle?" Still nothing.

_Okay, this is a little unnerving…_Misty thought.

"Pi…"

Misty's ears perked at that one. It was very quiet, and Misty couldn't even be sure of whether or not she had made it up in her mind.

"Pikachu?" Misty beckoned.

"Pikachupi…"

_Okay, I'm definitely _not _imagining that, _Misty furrowed her brow. Looking up the steps, Misty found Pikachu peeking out from the top of the stairs, his right ear bowed slightly while twitching intently.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?" Misty asked as a little smile appeared on her face.

"MOMMY!"

Misty's heart started to pound as she jumped slightly. That scream was certainly out of nowhere. And it was a chorusing yell. It came from both Aiden and Michelle, of that Misty was sure of.

This was confirmed when the two children came racing down the stairs, their eyes still glistening with tears. They both jumped at their mother's legs, holding onto her as tightly as they could. Misty could feel them shaking and crying, and she knew she had to take care of them.

"Oh, what is it?" Misty cooed. She knelt down, with some difficulty, but she was able to do it, and gathered the twins into her arms. "What's happening? Where's Daddy?"

"Someone broke the window!" Aiden wailed. Misty looked back up towards the shattered glass and her eyes widened slightly. _So it WASN'T Ash!_

"What do you mean someone broke it baby?" Misty soothingly rubbed the back of Aiden's head.

"It…it just broke!" Aiden continued sobbing. "A…and Daddy went outside t…to see who it was!"

"And where's Daddy now?" Misty repeated.

"We don't know!" Michelle blubbered. "He…he's still gone!"

"Who would do that?" Misty asked herself, still tending to the two young children in her arms.

"Well, isn't this just _perfect!_"

Misty's head shot up at the unfamiliar voice. Aiden and Michelle unsurely turned their heads as well, looking for the source of the voice. Upon seeing the figure, Michelle screamed and buried her face into her mother's chest. Misty focused in further on the man. She had never seen him, that she knew, but for some reason she felt like he'd been described to her before.

Messy silver hair, grey eyes, a strange choice of clothing…

"Who are you?" Misty spat.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man leaned in through the window pane. "My name is Loki. And I'm here for all three…excuse me…all _four_ of you!"

* * *

><p><strong>Loki's back. Of course he is, he's our villian! And if you guys hate him now, just you wait until we get deeper in. You're going to want to kill him just as bad as Ash wants to.<strong>

**I didn't get many reviews last chapter :( Where are all of my loyal reviewers? I miss reading everybody's feedback :P**

**So liked it? Didn't like it? Let me know! And I'll see you all next time!**


	13. A Captured Life

**Hello dear readers! I hope everyone who celebrates it had a wonderful Thanksgiving ^^**

**So, if you'll remember last chapter, Ash was taking care of the twins while Misty had a gym inspection. While she was gone, Loki attacked the house and when Misty came back, she found a broken window and her children hiding in terror before finally coming face to face with the man who tried to kidnap her daughter once before.**

**So what will happen now? Why _exactly_ does Loki want the children? Read on to find out!**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean all <em>four<em> of us?" Misty ground her teeth.

Loki chuckled and stood up to his full height, silver hair brushing over his naturally evil eyes. "Please don't tell me you're as dense as your husband."

"I won't hesitate to snap your neck," Misty bit. "Just because I have my children here, don't think for a second I wouldn't tear you apart."

"For an expectant mother, you certainly aren't very sweet," Loki commented. "I'm actually rather surprised you don't know what I mean by the four of you. I was simply being considerate and considering your unborn child to be a person."

"The baby…" Misty murmured softly. If that was one person, then the other three were…?

Loki chuckled darkly as an expression of horror crossed Misty's face. He knew instantly that she had realized what he'd meant.

"No!" Misty yelled, her cheeks reddening out of both anger and fear. "You must be insane! I would never let you take me, let alone my children!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter," Loki grinned deviously at the gym leader.

Her breath becoming caught in her throat, Misty looked back down at her terrified children and whispered, "Run you two. Go back upstairs with Pikachu. Please, go."

As soon as Aiden and Michelle tore away from their mother, Loki clicked his tongue and pulled out a silver scepter, holding it out towards the twins. The two young children began to glow a light shade of blue, the same exact color of their aura. Their small bodies were lifted off the ground as they were pulled towards Loki, both of them crying out in paralyzing fear.

"Aiden! Michelle!" Misty yelled, getting back to her feet and running after them. The closer she got to Loki, however, the more she found herself unable to move. Finally, Misty was frozen in place, and her stomach was glowing sapphire blue.

"Look at that," Loki muttered under his breath. "Incredible."

"You're not going to get away with this," Misty narrowed her eyes. It was all she could do at this point.

"Don't worry about it my dear," Loki smiled. "We'll be just fine." Looking over his shoulder, Loki whistled a unique tune, which caused his Salamence to fly over to the window. "Excellent. Take them all back to the airship, Salamence."

The dragon Pokémon puffed out some smoke and lifted the three captured humans onto his back. Loki followed after them, making sure to keep his scepter nearby. Without it, his hold over their aura would disappear, and they would be able to run free. And Loki couldn't have that.

"Pika!"

"Hmm?" Loki turned around, one of his thin silver eyebrows raised in confusion.

Pikachu was standing on the window sill, his beady black eyes narrowed as sparks flew from his cheeks. The electric type was _very _angry, and willing to fight for his family through whatever means necessary.

"What do you know, it's the Pokémon master's rat," Loki sneered. Pikachu's sparks increased, but Loki was not at all deterred. "Salamence, use toxic and get that filthy thing out of my sight."

Salamence spit out some dark purple sludge at Pikachu. The electric type dodged the first few assaults, but on the fifth turn, it came around too quickly and Pikachu was hit directly.

"Cha!" Pikachu cried out in distress, falling to the floor.

"Pikachu!" Aiden called worriedly, sounding amazingly like Ash at that moment.

Pikachu simply lay on the floor, squeaking quietly as a dark purple strip appeared over his black button nose.

"You poisoned Pikachu!" Misty screamed at Loki, her eyes burning in anger.

"That was the point sweetheart," Loki gently brushed Misty's cheek. Between both the term of endearment and the touch, Misty felt even more disturbed than she already did. She pulled as far away from Loki as she possibly could. Then, a thought popped up in her head.

"Where is my husband?" Misty asked in a steely tone.

"That's none of your concern."

"Actually, he's my _husband_" Misty bit. "So yes, it _is_ my concern!"

"I've had my assistant take care of him," Loki brushed back some of his silver locks. "But perhaps we can pay him a little visit before we go."

"Mommy…" Michelle whimpered, her eyes closing in fear.

"It's okay baby," Misty sighed, sadness flooding her heart. She wanted to reach out and hold her young daughter until the girl felt perfectly save, but Loki's aura hold on her made that impossible.

"Salamence, take us back to the Pokémon master," Loki ordered. "His family wants to say goodbye to him before they…move on."

His low cackles made Misty's cheeks burn with anger once more. She couldn't understand how this low life could find tearing a family apart so funny. Punching him in the throat sounded good to Misty right about now.

Loki led Salamence to the side of the house, the silver haired man's smile growing wider and more devious as he sighted Ash in an uncompromising position.

"Hello there Castor," Loki greeted his navy haired inferior, who was standing just in front of Ash. By the sidekick's feet was an Ariados, which caused a series of violent shivers to travel down Misty's spine. Gazing up, she saw Ash wrapped up in a string shot attack and stuck to the side of the house, his dark brown eyes flooded with sadness as he looked at his imprisoned family.

"Misty…" he murmured sadly.

"Speak a little louder, dear Pokémon master," Loki encouraged with a flippant smile. Ash glowered at the villain, a special kind of anger flashing across his handsome face.

"Ash please," Misty spoke up in a weak voice. She wanted to scream, to cry out for him and beg with all of her might, but she could feel her energy draining from her body. Could that be an affect of the aura?

"I'm going to help you…" Ash groaned as he struggled against the strong, silky binds. Loki laughed maniacally, while Castor turned his eyes away and looked rather guilty. Aiden and Michelle whimpered sadly, causing Ash to appear even more devastated.

"Daddy…" Michelle sobbed, her eyes closing tightly as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Don't cry princess," Ash begged quietly as he continued his struggle, mouth forming a definite frown. "I hate to see you cry sweetheart."

This only made Michelle wail even more. Even Aiden had tears filling his unusually dull brown eyes, which just broke Ash's heart completely.

"Say goodbye to your family," Loki addressed a speechless Ash. "They'll be coming with me."

"You son of a…" Ash stopped himself, not wanting to curse in front of his children. Holding back the swear, Ash continued in an acid tone, "let me go. _Now! _Because if you don't, you're going to be _so _sorry when I find you! I mean it!"

"Nothing but an empty threat," Loki shook his head. "But since you don't wish to bode a farewell, I see that we're done here. Come along Castor."

Whistling yet again, Loki led Salamence away from Ash. Castor sighed and recalled Ariados into its poke ball before following after his boss. Misty looked over her shoulder at Ash, an expression of fear and horror plastered on her face.

"I'll find you," Ash whispered. "I promise."

"By the way," Loki suddenly called out, causing Ash's eyes to flare up. "Your little rat is inside. He tried to stave me off, the worthless thing. My Salamence took quick care of him, fortunately. When and if you ever get out of those binds, you might want to tend to that rat. He's got a little case of poisoning."

"WHAT?" Ash bellowed, his face reddening so deeply it could be mistaken for a tomato.

Throwing one last devious smirk at the Pokémon master, Loki walked away, leaving behind a seething and greatly struggling Ash.

**XXX**

"Welcome to your new home!"

Misty bit back a growl, wanting nothing more than to spin around and swing right at the silver haired man. But with the twins standing by her feet, Misty wasn't about to attempt it.

Instead, she reluctantly stared ahead into the room that Loki was forcing her into. The walls were made of a cold and shiny metal, barren of anything decorative or comforting. There were no windows, and only one door leading in and out of the room. The most distinguishing feature of the space was a metal framed, Victorian style canopy bed, outfitted with white, lace edged sheets and a soft down comforter. Compared to the downtrodden room, the fancy bed seemed highly out of place.

"The bed is lovely, isn't it?" Loki purred, further irritating Misty. "It was part of my family's estate from when I was a child."

"Yeah, that's great," Misty droned sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "But there's only one bed, and three of us. Where do you expect me to sleep?"

"In the bed, of course," Loki narrowed his eyes.

"No," Misty mimicked her captor's action. "The bed is where my children will sleep. They always come before I do; I'd much rather sleep on the floor than make them do it."

"Mommy, you can't," Michelle murmured softly. "Daddy will only let you sleep in a bed 'cause of the baby."

Loki chuckled darkly and kneeled down in front of Michelle, causing the little red head to shriek. "Your Daddy isn't here, now is he?"

Misty kicked Loki in the shin, earning a loud hiss from the man as he jumped up and held onto the affected area. He lowered his eyes in order to glare at Misty, and instead was greeting by an equally, if not more, furious set of his eyes than his own.

"Don't you dare talk to my children that way," Misty warned in a hushed tone. "If you get in their faces like that again, I _will _hurt you."

"Very well," Loki mumbled. Clearing his throat, he continued, "The bed is perfectly big enough for all three of you. Even with that rather impressive stomach of yours."

Misty began to look even more aggravated. When she felt the twins hold onto her legs, however, she returned to a more serene expression and smiled down gently at the two. They were frightened, and Misty knew she had to put up a strong front for them. "What is it sweethearts? Are you tired?" They both nodded, mouths set into frowns and eyes unusually dull. "Alright. Go into the room. I'll be there in a minute."

Aiden and Michelle nodded slowly before scurrying into the room, desperate to be away from Loki. Before she could move after them, Misty's arm was grabbed by the silver haired man, who was still glaring at her.

"What?" Misty bit harshly.

"You'd better learn to control that temper of yours," Loki replied in a hushed voice. It was threatening, although surprisingly calm. "If not, I'm afraid you're going to be _very _sorry for your actions."

Misty stared back at Loki in disbelief. With a little smirk, Loki turned on a heel and marched away, leaving behind a still bewildered Misty. And unbeknownst to any of them, a quiet spectator was watching the scene from around a nearby corner.

**XXX**

"Ugh! Come on…just a little more…"

Ash had nearly extricated himself from the web that had been tightly wound around his body. He was trying to get out as quickly as possible, knowing that it was all up to him in order to save his wife and children.

Tears were stinging behind his eyes, threatening to fall. But Ash wouldn't let them. Now wasn't the time for breaking down, for it wouldn't help anyone.

"Ash…what are you doing?"

Ash's head shot up, his dark brown eyes locking on Brock, who was standing only feet away from him. The Pokémon doctor was holding bags in both of his arms, shooting his best friend a rather bewildered look.

"I didn't realize that you and Misty were this kinky," Brock smirked as he raised an eyebrow. "Is now a bad time?"

"Brock, no!" Ash cried, frightening the older man. "This has nothing to do with….ugh! Just help me, please!"

"Is everything okay?" Brock's amused expression slowly slipped away when he saw the panic on Ash's face.

"No," Ash quickly shook his head. "No. It's not. Misty and the kids…they've been taken, Brock!"

"What?" Brock instantly dropped the bags on the ground and ran over to Ash, yanking at the silky threads binding his body. After only a minute, Ash was completely freed, falling to the ground on his hands and knees.

Ash remained in that position for a few moments, panting in an effort to regain his breath. Remembering what had happened to his family, however, Ash shot up quickly, hands balling into fists at his sides.

"I have to go," Ash began storming away, "I have to save them…"

"Ash, wait!" Brock grabbed his younger friend by the shoulder. Ash whipped around and threw Brock a miserable look.

"I can't _wait, _Brock!" Ash cried. "I need to get Misty and the twins back. They…they need me! And I swear I'm going to kill that stupid…"

"Who took them?" Brock interrupted in a grave tone.

"An evil, evil man," Ash seethed. "His name is Loki. He already tried to kidnap Michelle once before, but I caught him in the act. This time, he tied me up so I couldn't intervene."

"Why would he kidnap them?" Brock still looked very shocked.

"Aura," Ash ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "They all have aura. Well, Misty doesn't. The baby does. But somehow, she's able to use it from inside of Misty."

"That means the baby is extremely powerful," Brock murmured to himself.

"Which is exactly why Misty and the twins were taken," Ash replied quickly. "And why I have to save them."

"Ash, you can't do this alone," Brock called after the raven haired man as he ran back towards the house.

Ash began slowing down as he processed Brock's words. Eventually, he came to a complete stop, glancing over his shoulder. "This is my fight Brock. You can't come."

"You need help," Brock argued.

"No I don't," Ash replied strongly.

"You're stupid to think I'm going to let you do this by yourself," Brock continued just as calmly as he'd done before.

"I'm stupid then, fine," Ash ground his teeth. "But you're still not coming." He whipped around to march away once more, but Brock's words stopped him in his tracks yet again.

"Where are you going now, Ash?"

"The house," Ash muttered.

"Why the house?"

"Because Pikachu is in there. I need him."

"Why wasn't he out here with you in the first place?"

"I told him to protect Aiden and Michelle!" Ash finally snapped. "But he must've run downstairs with them because Loki…" Ash stopped and sucked in his breath before finishing lamely, "poisoned him."

"Badly?" Brock inquired.

"So he claimed," Ash huffed as he continued moving.

"If Pikachu is poisoned that badly, you may not have time to get him to a Pokémon Center," Brock ran up next to Ash, who was looking more and more perturbed by the second. "I just bought some fresh herbs and medicine. Please, let me help him."

Ash stopped walking for the third time since Brock's arrival. His expression was frozen in a state of anger, and somehow, Brock knew it wasn't meant for him. It was meant for the villain who had taken Ash's wife and children from him.

"Try as you might, you won't be able to do this on your own," Brock consoled in a hushed tone. "I know you too well Ash. Misty, Aiden, and Michelle…they mean just as much to me as they do to you. Misty was my fellow gym leader, and she's one of my best friends. Aiden and Michelle are my godchildren. You and Misty gave me that responsibility the day they were born, and I take it very seriously."

"You don't know what Loki is capable of," Ash gazed at his best friend while slowly shaking his head.

"And I don't care," Brock replied sternly. "I won't let anyone do a thing to those three. And if you don't let me come with you, I'll find my own way to get to them."

Ash's face softened, and before long, a reluctant smirk grew on his lips. "You're freaking insane, do you know that?"

"I guess after all these years you've rubbed off on me some," Brock mimicked the little smile. "Now what do you say? Ready to kick some idiot's ass?"

Ash's grin broadened. "Of course. Right after you take care of Pikachu."

**XXX**

"Mommy, why does Loki want us? What did we do?"

Misty frowned as she stroked Aiden's cheek. The young boy was sitting on the edge of the bed, a rather worried look set on his cute face.

"We didn't do anything wrong, sweetie."

"Then why does he want us?" Aiden repeated.

Misty stopped to think for a moment. She couldn't tell Aiden about the aura, because he didn't know about it. And Ash wanted to keep it that way. Of course, Misty had a strong dislike for lying, but in this case, it was something she was better off lying about.

"Because he's a mean, horrible man," Misty hugged Aiden close to her. "But he won't win. I won't let him."

Aiden's breathing became gentle as his eyes began to close. His small hand fell down onto Misty's stomach, while his head nestled closer into her shoulder.

"It's time for bed," Misty murmured to her tired son. Aiden responded with an incoherent mumble, which caused Misty to smile. She got off the bed, holding onto Aiden the entire time so he wouldn't fall over. Once she was on her feet, Misty gathered Aiden into her arms, something she wasn't supposed to do. It was only for a minute or so, however, so Misty assumed it was alright.

She pulled down the covers as gently as possible, not wanting to disturb Michelle who was already asleep underneath the sheets. Misty placed Aiden down next to his sister, pulling the covers back over both of them as Aiden let out a quiet, content sigh. Smiling to herself, Misty leaned over and kissed both children on the head before walking over to the single window in the small, dreary room.

Misty gave the entire bed to the twins for the night. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, she was just too anxious. Breathing out heavily, Misty pressed her forehead against the cold glass and stared out into the dark night sky. The aircraft was currently moving, so Misty just watched all of the stars pass by as they twinkled dimly on their nearly black backdrop.

A small, tickling sensation went off in her stomach, causing Misty to furrow her brow. After another moment, the baby began to kick, earning a sad smile from her young mother.

"Sometimes I can't tell if you know what's going on or not," Misty addressed her bump as she pressed a hand against it. "Are you scared or just happy? I wish I knew." The baby kicked again, and Misty moved her hand over to the side of her midsection.

As Misty fawned over her belly, the door to the room slid open, alarming the gym leader. Instinctively, she reached for her belt, preparing to grab one of her poke balls. In doing this, Misty mentally slapped herself. _I've had my Pokémon the whole time! Why don't I just attack this jerk? Stupid me…it must be the pregnancy brain._

The shadowy figure stepped tentatively into the room, causing Misty to scowl and grip her chosen poke ball tightly, ready to unclip and enlarge it.

"Don't hurt me…I'm not who you think."

Misty narrowed her eyes to try and get a better look at the visitor. It was hard, however, when there was no light in the room. Finally, she gave up on trying to see the man and instead pulled her shoulders back.

"I can't see you, you know. It's too dark in here."

"Ah, right. I apologize for that."

A light suddenly turned on in the room, causing Misty to flinch and cover her eyes for protection. Once she got used to the bright light, Misty uncovered her bright green eyes and went back to staring at the man.

He was fairly tall, his height and build quite similar to Ash with the exception of a little less muscle than Misty's husband. He had straight navy hair, brushing just over a pair of sky blue eyes and reaching midway down his neck.

"You're his filthy assistant," Misty growled lowly.

"Uh…yes, I suppose I am," he gave a single nod. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Castor."

"And I'm not interested," Misty turned her head away.

"Please miss, I'm not here to harm you _or _your children," Castor nearly pleaded. "I would never consider such an act."

"Of course not," Misty bit sarcastically, "but you would assist someone else in the deed, right?"

"It isn't what it seems," Castor shook his head. "Allow me to explain…"

"I don't want to hear it," Misty snapped, turning back towards the window.

"But miss, I want to help you."

"If you wanted to help me, you would get me and my children out of here," Misty ground her teeth. "And you definitely wouldn't have attacked and tied up my husband."

"I apologize for that, truly," Castor held a hand over his heart. "All I want is for you to know that you have an ally in this."

"Oh please," Misty rolled her eyes. "You must think I'm some kind of idiot. You're his _partner_; of course you're out to get me."

"But I'm not," Castor argued. "The only reason I associate myself with Loki is because I have no other choice."

"Everyone has a choice in life," Misty closed her eyes in an exasperated manner.

"Not always. Loki took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I don't know if I'd still be alive if it wasn't for him."

"If he's such a good person, then why is he trying to hurt me and my children?" Misty lowered her head. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Loki has a very strong aura, just like your husband," Castor explained. "But, unlike the Pokémon master, he chose to focus on honing the skill. He wanted to become an aura guardian like his ancestors, and to use the powers for good. He discovered the aura at a very young age, and started working on it. Loki lived in a small region, you see. He lived and worked on his family's farm, practicing with his aura in whatever free time he could find."

"Then what happened that made him such a horrible person?" Misty asked, the tone of her voice indicating a sense of disbelief. She wasn't sure whether or not to buy Castor's story.

"He had a love," Castor continued, "they were childhood friends and married when they were only 20 years old. Her name was Lucina, and she was very beautiful. Lucina knew all about Loki's aura, and she fully encouraged him to strengthen his powers. Not long after they married, Lucina discovered that she was pregnant. Not only that, but the couple also learned that their unborn child had a very strong sense of aura as well. Their happiness wouldn't last for long, however. The area had a known history with aura guardians, so many of their descendents lived in the region. There were several gangs of guardian descendents who wished to use their powers for evil, and not for good. One day, they all united and attacked those who wished to use their aura in a positive manner. The largest attack was on Loki's land, since they knew his unborn child possessed a strong sense of aura. Their goal was to kill Loki and kidnap Lucina, but somehow things went awry when Loki began fighting back. Loki survived the attack, although he was badly injured."

"And his wife?" Misty breathed.

"She was the one who ended up dying," Castor bowed his head. "Their child never even got to live. Not only that, but the entire farm was destroyed; damaged beyond repair. Loki slipped into a state of unconsciousness after the battle. When he woke up weeks later, he was finally told of his wife and child's demise."

"And what does any of this have to do with you?" Misty's shoulders were slumped now, her nails digging into her palms at her sides.

"The attack affected me as well. My parents were descendents of aura guardians. Like your older children, I was a twin. My brother Pollux and I both had limited aura. Seeing as it's the same situation with those two," Castor nodded towards the sleeping Aiden and Michelle, "I'm guessing it's a common occurrence in twins with a family history of aura."

"Did they hurt your family?" Misty hedged.

"Everyone in my family was killed except for me," Castor nodded. "They would have killed me as well, but somehow I managed to escape. Loki found me in the road one day and offered to take me in, seeing as we both had no one left. He was 20 at the time, and I was 12. It was a bit of an odd match, but I was desperate. I was still just a child, and I didn't want to be alone in the world."

"That's terrible," Misty frowned.

"It's been 10 years since then, and Loki has provided me with a comfortable living. We built this aircraft from scratch as our means of both shelter and transportation. After the attack, he'd stopped practicing his aura, but a few years later, I noticed a significant change in Loki's personality. He'd always been angry about Lucina's death, and the gangs that unleashed those attacks upon our region. Soon he was strengthening his aura again, but this time he wasn't going to use it for good. Day after day, I watched as Loki grew more grim, and more full of hatred. He wants revenge for what happened all those years ago and he believes the only way to do it is to become more powerful than those who harmed him so badly."

"Ash, the baby…" Misty thought aloud before gasping. "That's why he chose me. Because Ash has everything that he wanted!"

"Yes," Castor's eyes were dark with grave sorrow. "Seeing as your husband has a powerful sense of aura, and a beautiful wife who is carrying an equally powerful child, Loki sees him as the ultimate enemy: the person who has the life he was so close to having."

"I can't believe after all that happened to him, he would go out to hurt someone just as badly as he's been hurt," Misty shook her head in incredulity.

"The old, real Loki would have never acted this way," Castor persisted mournfully, "but ever since all of that anger overtook his mind, it's exactly what he would do."

"I won't let him hurt my baby," Misty closed her eyes tightly, "I won't."

"I won't either. I know you do not think highly of me, but you must know that I do not agree with my master's current point of view, and I will do everything in my power to protect both you and your children."

"Thanks," Misty responded glumly, her face still pale.

For some strange reason, she felt as if she could trust Castor. She knew in turn that would probably be a mistake, but for now she was too tired to fight it. All she could do was hope that Ash would make good on his word and find her and the twins.

Because being back with Ash was the only way Misty would know she was completely safe.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's Loki's backstory. It's pretty tragic, but is it a viable excuse for what he's doing to Misty and the twins?<strong>

**Also, little fun fact about Castor, I named him way back when I first started this story, and when I decided to give him a twin brother in this chapter, I dsicovered that in Greek mythology, Castor had a twin brother named Pollux! So that worked out well for me :P Apparently, Castor and Pollux make up the Gemini constellation ^^**

**I got alot of reviews for last chapter, which I am super thankful for! I'm glad to know everyone is still absorbed in this story. I promise it's only going to get more exciting from here on out! Thanks for reading, reviewing, and until next time, keep being awesome!**


	14. Seperated

**I'm updating 2 stories in one night. Alright! Guess I'm just on a roll or something. Or I just have nothing better to do XD You decide.**

**So, a few of you seemed to actually show some sympathy for Loki after his tragic past was revealed last chapter. Well, all I have to say about this chapter is that you're going to hate him even more than you already did! He's just a really bad guy.**

**Enough of my rambling. On with the story!**

* * *

><p>"Ow…"<p>

Misty was laying in bed, Aiden and Michelle on either one of her sides. She was in a small amount of pain, and breathing rather heavily because of it. Misty didn't want to wake the twins up from their nap, or worse, scare them, but the weighty breathing was the only thing that seemed to be alleviating her pain.

"Are you okay Mommy?"

Misty glanced down at Michelle, who was now awake and rather worried looking. Misty smiled at her daughter and threaded the child's bright red locks through her fingers. "I'm just fine sweetheart. Your baby sister is just causing a little bit of trouble, that's all."

"Tell her to stop," Michelle suggested innocently.

"It doesn't work that way unfortunately," Misty giggled airily.

"Stop it baby," Michelle poked a finger into the side of her mother's bump. Misty winced slightly, but didn't tell Michelle to stop. It was taking her mind off of the pain. Instead, Michelle stopped on her own after a few more pokes and once again gazed up at Misty. "What's the baby's name, Mommy?"

"She doesn't have one yet," Misty replied sweetly.

"Can I name her?"

"I wanted everyone to help pick her name! You know, you, Aiden, and Daddy."

"But I have good ideas," Michelle sulked.

"Well, you can tell me some of them now," Misty tried. "And I'll think about them. How about that?"

"Okay!" Michelle beamed. "So, I really think that Cookie is a good name."

"C…Cookie?" Misty blinked.

"Yeah, or Candy," Michelle's eyes were gleaming at the prospect.

Misty laughed nervously. _And here I thought _Ash _would be the one suggesting food related names for our baby…_

"What do you think Mommy?" Michelle's squeaky voice caught Misty's attention once again.

"They're uh…" Misty stammered. She didn't want to hurt her sweet little girl's feelings. "They're…very interesting names, sweetheart. I'll uh…take them into consideration."

"Yay!" Michelle clapped her hands together, causing Misty's genuine smile to return. She loved to see her daughter so happy.

While Misty and Michelle were conversing, however, the door to the tiny metal room slid open, making a loud noise as it did so. Michelle jumped and Misty fearfully grabbed onto the girl, letting her know that she was safe. Misty was afraid of it being Loki, there to torture her and her children some more. When she saw that it was Castor, however, she relaxed and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Hello miss," Castor greeted quietly, approaching the bed.

"Hi Castor," Misty sat up carefully. Not only was it a little hard for her at this point, but she also didn't want to disturb the still slumbering Aiden. "What brings you for this little visit?"

"My master wishes to see you in his quarters," Castor's voice suddenly lowered, reflecting a sense of mistrust. Misty bit her lip, fear glistening in her bright emerald eyes. Castor noticed this and gave the gym leader a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I shouldn't have. If you'd like, I'll watch after these two while you're gone."

"No Mommy," Michelle whispered frantically as she grabbed Misty's hand.

"Don't be scared now baby girl," Misty kissed her daughter's head. "Castor is very nice, he's nothing like Loki. He'll do a good job of taking care of you and Aiden while I'm gone. And I'll be back before you know it."

Michelle whimpered but didn't argue. Misty slid out of the bed and threw Castor a worried look, to which he replied with a calm smile.

"Just be calm, miss," Castor assured. "Everything will be just fine. You'll find my master's quarters down the hall and to the right."

Misty nodded and walked out of the room. As she walked to Loki's quarters, she thought about something dumb, something she shouldn't have been worried about at all. Misty found it rather odd that Castor didn't call her by her name, but rather "miss." He also rarely called Loki by his name. Instead it was "master."

_I think he's just awfully respectful, _Misty thought spritingly to herself, _he reminds me a lot of Justin._

It didn't take long for Misty to reach the door of Loki's quarters. She glared at the closed metal slab, a stare so harsh she was surprised it didn't melt a hole right through the material. Filling her lungs with oxygen, Misty strongly knocked on the door three times before planting her hands on her hips.

After a moment, the door slid open, and Loki's sinister voice floated out, "ah, Misty. I've been waiting for you."

**XXX**

"How are we going to find Misty and the twins if they were taken away in an air ship?"

"I'm working on it," Ash replied mindlessly to Brock's nagging inquiry. He was carrying Pikachu in his arms; the small electric type having been successfully cured by Brock but still left rather weak from the poison's affects.

"Do you have any flying Pokémon with you?" Brock asked. "Because I just so happen to have Crobat with me; Forrest wanted me to get him some exercise. He should be able to help with the search from the air."

"I have Noctowl," Ash retrieved his flying type's poke ball. "Let's start looking now."

He pressed the center button, releasing the intelligent and mischievous owl Pokémon from its sanctuary. Noctowl let out a soft "hoot" before settling down in front of Ash, looking up curiously at his trainer while tilting his head.

"Noctowl, I need your help," Ash addressed the alternately colored dual type. "Misty, Aiden, and Michelle have been taken by an evil man, and we have to find them."

Noctowl narrowed his eyes, clearly angry over the fact that his trainer's family was in harm's way. Flapping his wide wings, Noctowl lifted himself back into the air and gazed down at Ash, waiting for further instruction.

"I'm going to send Crobat with you, okay Noctowl?" Brock called as he held up the poke ball that housed his dual type Pokémon. Noctowl simply nodded, and was soon joined up in the air by the purple bat.

"Be on the lookout for a big, silver airship," Ash ordered. "That's what they were taken away in."

Noctowl and Crobat cried out in their own perspective languages before flying off, Ash and Brock trailing closely behind.

"Pika…pikapi…" Pikachu croaked weakly.

"No Pikachu, you can't do anything yet," Ash frowned down at his partner. "You're still too weak from that toxic attack."

"Pika!" Pikachu protested, although his ears drooped shortly afterwards.

"Pikachu, I promise you'll be able to help us out when you're back at full strength," Ash continued sympathetically, "but you're not there yet." In turn, Pikachu growled lowly and turned away from Ash, earning a short chuckle from the Pokémon master.

"Like trainer like Pokémon," Brock hummed smartly. "Both stubborn as rocks."

"It's his family too," Ash smiled sadly at Brock. "He just wants to fight for them is all."

"Well, I'm sure we're going to find them," Brock encouraged the still downtrodden Ash. He wanted to keep the situation as positive as possible, for fear of Ash losing his mind. "Don't worry, Ash."

"I hope you're right Brock," Ash sighed, turning his attention back to the two flying Pokémon soaring past the surrounding trees, searching gallantly for any sign of his wife and children.

_Just hang on Misty. I'm going to find you, Aiden, and Michelle. I will._

**XXX**

"What do you want from me?"

Loki smirked at the perturbed red head, finding that his sneaky little smile was only further agitating her.

"Relax, my dear," Loki chuckled. "It's nothing much. Just a few questions."

"Well maybe I don't want to answer them," Misty huffed, wincing as she pressed a hand against the underside of her swollen stomach.

"What is it? The child giving you trouble?"

Misty's head snapped up. Loki was still grinning shiftily, and Misty bit her lip in a worrisome matter.

"Perhaps you should take a seat," Loki motioned towards a nearby office chair. Misty didn't particularly want to take the silver haired man up on his offer, but she was in a pretty decent amount of pain, and the possibility of being able to sit down was simply irresistible. So, trying not to show any trace of emotion, Misty shuffled over to the comfortable looking seat and lowered herself into the chair. "Are you going to answer me?"

"You didn't ask a question," Misty narrowed her eyes at Loki.

"Ah, but I did beautiful," Loki sneered. The term of endearment sent a violent shiver up Misty's spine, but she chose to ignore it in order to keep glaring at her captor. "I asked if the child was acting up in its little safe haven."

Misty breathed in and out quietly for a few moments. Loki simply stared at her, the mischievous and evil smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. Grimacing slightly, Misty looked down at her belly and murmured, "Just a little."

"Would you like to know why that is?" Loki strolled over to the wide set of windows, staring out into the sky with an almost thoughtful look on his face.

"I doubt you know why," Misty snapped. Loki laughed huskily and turned back towards Misty, his silver eyes twinkling with a dangerous intent.

"It's the aura, darling," Loki's curling voice floated into Misty's head. "You see, I've connected myself to your little girl. Our powers are…mingling, if you will."

Misty's breath caught in her throat as her dark green eyes widened in terror. "H…how do you know she's a girl?"

"Her aura tells me everything," Loki explained calmly. "She may be unborn, but she's very much alive my dear. I can sense her feelings, her wants. I can even tell what makes her happy, and what makes her upset."

"So why am I in pain?" Misty growled. "Are you hurting her?"

"Of course not," Loki's expression darkened slightly. "Sometimes, she just doesn't agree with my aura. The connection makes her upset, you see."

"Then why are you doing it?" Misty's teeth were ground, and her cheeks were reddening.

"The establishment of a connection between the child and myself is very important," Loki looked down seriously at Misty. "You see, those who are experienced with aura can form connections with many other aura users. But this one is just a little baby. Her powers are less than refined; this is when they are most raw. At this stage, she can only sense one connection, and it must be introduced by the other user. Unfortunately, it seems she already formed a connection before I could get to her."

Misty furrowed her brow and thought about who her baby could've possibly mixed aura with. Suddenly, realization hit her, and her eyes grew large as saucers.

"Ash…" she gasped.

"Yes, it would appear that she and your husband have already established an aura connection," Loki's tone suddenly grew irate. "And the first association is always the strongest."

Misty smiled, despite herself. She found it so sweet that Ash and their daughter had already formed a special bond. Perhaps that was why she always got so excited when she heard his voice and felt his hands. She really knew it was her father.

"Fortunately for me, I may have found a way to override this little problem," Loki's strangely melodic voice instantly caused Misty's grin to disappear.

"You can't take that away," Misty shook her head feverously. "No. You can't take away the connection between her and Ash."

"He doesn't deserve the connection," Loki flicked away a strand of silver hair. "It's rather selfish of him to take the baby's powers all to himself, now isn't it?"

"He isn't taking her power," Misty was growing more livid by the second. "Ash would _never _do that! He was only using it to get close to her!"

"A waste of time," Loki sighed. "Bonding with people is truly useless. They'll all just leave you in the end. Power should be synced in order to form an even more commanding energy."

"Quit using your aura on my baby right now!" Misty demanded furiously, jumping up as her hands balled into fists at her sides. Wordlessly, Loki's eyes began to glow a bright sapphire blue, which soon spread to Misty's stomach. She hissed in pain and sat back down, doubling over as she panted.

"Now what did I say about acting out?" Loki's perturbed expression once again grew calm, his tone unwavering as an evil smile stretched across his face. "I told you that you'd pay."

Misty groaned but didn't dare make another move. Ultimately, it was solely up to her to protect the baby, and she wasn't about to do something stupid out of anger.

"I thought you told me you weren't hurting her," Misty did manage to speak up.

"It's hurting her less than it is you," Loki replied coolly. "And I can't help it that the child is resisting my attempts of aura connection. It would be an easier process for her if she simply accepted it."

"Leave the connection between her and Ash alone," Misty pleaded. "Please."

"I'm afraid I can't do that my dear," Loki smirked before turning around and sauntering away. Misty stuck her tongue out at his back, although she quickly stuck it back in when Loki called out, "fetch those children of yours, won't you? That is, if you'd like them to eat today."

As Loki walked away, the pain in Misty's midsection subsided, surprising the red headed gym leader.

_Why does he pick and choose when to use his aura on my baby?_

**XXX**

Brock was trying his best to go to sleep. Lying in his sleeping bag, the wind ruffling the leaves on the trees relaxing him and aiding his efforts. Letting out a quiet sigh, Brock closed his eyes and nestled more deeply into the warm material.

Only minutes later, however, the sound of constant shuffling caused Brock's eyelids to rise. Groaning, Brock sat up and found Ash digging through his old backpack, which he'd brought along for the search. He figured it would come in handy, as it could hold a bunch of things that could help him and Brock.

"Ash," Brock beckoned softly. The young man looked up expectantly, waiting for Brock's next words. "What are you doing?"

"Uh…nothing," Ash blushed slightly.

"Shouldn't you be trying to get some sleep?" Brock raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I can't sleep Brock," Ash let out one short, humorless laugh. "There's no way." And with that, he went back to sifting through his backpack.

"Well, you can't be doing this all night and tell me it's nothing," Brock finally sat up, crossing his arms. "So what're you up to?"

Ash sighed in defeat. Pulling several photographs out of the bag, he stood up and walked over to Brock, sitting down next to the older male. Grunting quietly, out of emotional pain Brock assumed, Ash gently tossed the pictures onto Brock's lap, as if he no longer wanted to look at them.

Taking the photos into his hands, Brock began examining the images. The first one was of just Ash and Misty. He could tell it was taken when they were younger, definitely before either of Misty's pregnancies. She was sitting cross legged on the ground, laughing gleefully while Ash stood behind her, bending over so his head was resting atop hers and his arms were wrapped around her body. Unlike Misty, Ash wasn't looking at the camera. He was instead gazing down at Misty, a warm and caring smile gracing his lips.

The second photo was a professional shot, taken by their old friend Todd Snap. It was shortly after the twins had been born, and all of the big name magazines were clamoring over who would get the first photos of the newborn children. Ash and Misty had been nervous about the whole ordeal, so they would only trust Todd to take the picture. Tiny Aiden and Michelle were lying next to one another, their heads just touching as they looked up with wide eyes and Misty, who was leaning over the two and smiling sweetly at them. Her ginger hair, which was still very long at the time, cascaded down her arm, stick straight and stopping just before her elbow.

The third photo was much more simple, a little reminiscent of the first one. Ash and Misty were sitting next to one another, with Ash's left arm slung over Misty's shoulders. Aiden was sitting in Misty's lap, one of Ash's old hats on his head. The young boy was smirking and pulling the hat off to the side, in the same fashion Ash had done when he was younger. Michelle, meanwhile, sat in her father's lap, her hands clasped together innocently while an angelic smile resided on her face. The twins looked smaller than they did now, so Brock assumed the picture was taken when they were younger.

The fourth picture was a more recent one. This Brock could tell because Misty was sporting her baby bump, and had the currently aged Aiden and Michelle at her sides. They had just gone swimming in the gym pool, as evidenced by Misty and Michelle's slightly curled hair and the twins' swimsuits: Aiden in red and blue swim trunks, and Michelle in a sky blue one piece with yellow and white straps criss-crossing on her back. Misty was wearing a ruffled yellow bikini, the top of which was just visible from underneath her light green tank top.

The final photo in the collection _really _tugged at Brock's heart strings. It had the smallest detail out of any of the pictures, but it was by far the most touching. For all the last picture was from Misty's most recent sonogram, her and Ash's unborn baby girl looking quite comfortable in the womb. Glancing off to the side, Brock could see Ash staring longingly at the photograph.

"This is very sweet of you, Ash," Brock murmured, carefully handing the small collection back to his friend.

Ash smiled sadly as he accepted the pictures, gently running his thumb over the sonogram photo. "I'm so scared Brock," Ash sighed as he shook his head. "What if I never get to see my baby girl?"

"You will," Brock assured quietly. "I promise you, Ash."

"I was so ready to hold her," Ash mumbled. Brock leaned into Ash, unsure of what he had meant by that. Noticing Brock's intrigue, Ash looked up and smiled sadly, "when Aiden and Michelle were born, I was terrified to hold them. I was absolutely convinced that I would drop them, or squeeze them too tightly. The last thing I wanted to do with my new babies was hurt them. But once the doctor put Michelle in my arms, and I had no choice but to hold her, I realized it was the greatest thing in the world. And that I wasn't going to hurt them. So I was ready this time. I was _so _confident that as soon as my little girl was born, I'd be able to hold her with no fear."

"You're still going to get to hold your baby," Brock smiled reassuringly at Ash. "I'll make sure of it."

The two friends sat in silence for awhile, listening to the swooshing wind and the occasional calls of the nocturnal Pokémon. Ash shifted his eyes towards his own sleeping bag, where Pikachu was snoozing away in between the two layers. Ash was hoping that after a good night's sleep, Pikachu's energy would be completely replenished, and the electric type could finally help in the search for Misty, Aiden, and Michelle. Brock, meanwhile, was staring up into the sky, searching for the different constellations in the cluster of stars that hung high above his head.

"We want you to be her godfather too, you know."

Brock blinked as he lowered his gaze onto Ash. "What?"

Chuckling, Ash looked back at Brock and clarified, "Misty and I. We already decided you're going to be the new baby's godfather. You do a really good job with Aiden and Michelle, so we decided not to mess with a good thing. You especially proved it to me when you totally ignored me and came along for this search."

"You knew I wasn't going to let you go by yourself," Brock smirked at Ash. "That's just foolish."

"I know," Ash nodded slowly. "I just wanted to see you fight back. And you did."

"It's an honor, you know," Brock continued after taking a few moments to acknowledge Ash's compliment, "to be trusted enough to be named the godfather of your children. Thank you; it means the world to me, Ash."

"No problem. I wouldn't trust anyone else."

The two friends just looked at each other for awhile, smiling feebly at one another. Finally, Ash let out a long yawn, causing Brock to snort amusedly. "You're tired, Ash. Go to sleep."

"I already told you I can't," Ash huffed. "I'm too worried."

"Don't be, we're not going to let them down," Brock patted Ash's shoulder before snuggling back into his sleeping bag. "But, in order to be on our best sleuthing behavior, we have to get a good night's rest."

"If you insist," Ash sighed, standing up to trudge back over to his own sleeping bag.

"I do," Brock replied airily. "And don't worry so much, Ash. I know it's hard, but just try and think positive thoughts."

"Alright," Ash climbed into his portable bed, making sure not to disturb his sleeping partner. Nestling in, Ash closed his eyes and called out, "night Brocko."

"Good night Ash," were Brock's last words before he fell asleep.

**XXX**

By all accounts, Misty was surprised that Loki even allowed her and the twins to eat. It was even more shocking that the food was more than decent. The dinner he served them was actually delicious.

"He didn't poison it, did he?" Misty hissed to Castor while Loki was off elsewhere.

"No miss, of course not," Castor shook his head. "I don't think he would ever do that. He wants you alive. Besides, I watched him make it." He finished up with a wink, causing Misty to giggle sweetly.

At the sound of her laughter, Loki whipped around. Misty quickly willed herself to stop, choosing instead to stare up evilly at the silver haired man. He chuckled softly, sitting back down in his seat across from Misty.

"You are an odd one, Misty," Loki shook his head. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to understand you." Misty sneered at the odd man, but said nothing in response.

While she was absorbed in her food, Loki stared at the Cerulean City gym leader, carefully studying her every move. He watched the way she fluttered her eyelashes when she blinked, how she gently flicked her wrist every time she used her fork, and how her chest rose and fell with every calm breath she took in and out.

"Castor," Loki suddenly called, causing his navy haired inferior to look up. "Take the children back to their chambers, won't you?"

"Is something wrong master?" Castor asked curiously.

"Nothing to be concerned about," Loki waved a hand. "But please. I need to speak to Misty about something. In private."

Something about the situation was making Castor nervous, but he didn't want to disobey his master. Nodding slowly, Castor softly beckoned to the two 5 year olds sitting beside him. They looked worriedly at their mother, slowly shaking their heads to show their disagreement.

"It's okay sweethearts," Misty smiled sympathetically at the two children. "You don't have to go anywhere."

Castor grew wide eyed at this. Misty shifted her gaze onto Loki, giving him a threatening stare. While he seemed taken back at first, Loki quickly regained his composure and huffed slightly, moving a lock of hair out of his equally silver eyes.

"If that's how you want to play, my dear…" Loki murmured. He snapped open his eyes, which were now glowing a bright shade of blue. The glow spread onto Aiden and Michelle, who in turn began to scream and cry out in evident pain.

"Stop it!" Misty yelled, jumping to her feet. She instantly grabbed onto her children, holding them close to her in the hope that she would be able to stop whatever was hurting them. Instead, the sapphire glow lit up her stomach, which was now causing Misty to cry out painfully.

"Master Loki, what are you doing?" Castor gasped, staring at his superior.

Finally realizing he was now causing harm to the unborn baby, Loki let out a heavy sigh and stopped his aura. The glow disappeared from all four users, leaving Misty panting and Aiden and Michelle still sobbing in her arms.

"Wh…what did you just do?" Misty stammered.

"Castor, take the children," Loki ordered more sternly this time.

Castor got up and took hold of the two crying children, all while giving Misty an apologetic look. She gave him a small nod, to show that everything was alright. Leaning down, she kissed both children and assured that she would be in the room shortly, and asking them to behave for Castor.

Once the three were gone, Misty resumed directing her hostile glare towards Loki, who still looked less than pleased with her. "Answer me. What the hell did you just do to hurt my children?"

"I was forcing an aura transfer," Loki answered gruffly. "And I will now do so every time you disobey or defy me."

"What is an aura transfer?" Misty demanded.

"It's exactly as it sounds. The aura from one person is given to another aura user, although in my case, I am the one taking the aura from your children. They're far too young and inexperienced to know how to do something as complicated as an aura transfer."

"So why does it hurt?" Misty growled.

"Aura transfer has the ability to be fatal," a sly smirk appeared on Loki's face. "If you do too much at one time, the aura donor will more than likely die." The horror on Misty's face only made Loki even more excited. "I wasn't doing enough to kill your children. Oh no. I did just enough to tire them out a little and cause some minor pain. But I will do that if you continue to cause trouble for me."

"Fine, then I'll try not to be so flighty, for my children's sake," Misty seethed. "Are we done here?"

"No, that isn't what I desired to talk to you about," Loki's voice curled around Misty as she turned to leave. Grunting, she spun back around, her eyes reflecting a great sense of annoyance. He moved closer to Misty, a still mischievous smile set on his lips.

"What?" Misty asked lowly.

"I've been observing you ever since I brought you here," Loki informed the fiery gym leader. "Everything from your mannerisms to your outright behavior. Some of your disobedience concerns me, but you really are quite a beautiful girl."

"Thanks for the compliment," Misty turned away in disgust.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret, love," Loki continued, completely oblivious to Misty's disinterest. "Right after you delivered that baby, I was going to rid myself of you. I have no use for a woman who doesn't possess any aura abilities."

Misty's eyes widened at this. He was actually planning to kill her? The jerk! He was even worse than Misty originally thought, which she couldn't conceive was actually possible.

"But I think now I'm much too interested in you," Loki moved closer to Misty. "You're a pretty thing. I could make use of you, even without any possession of aura." He began to gently stroke her hair, causing Misty to jerk away. "Perhaps you could give me some of my own children. My aura is powerful enough where I wouldn't need anything from you. We'll build an empire together, and use our powers for evil."

"You're insane!" Misty finally shouted, unable to take anymore.

"No my dear, I am not," Loki grinned as he grabbed onto Misty's shoulders. "I just have very high expectations."

And without another word, he pressed his lips against Misty's.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeeeep, looks like Loki has fallen for Misty. Does he care that she's married to Ash and the mother of his children? Probably not.<strong>

**Anyway, I'm sooo excited because tomorrow I'm going to see Pokemon White IN THEATRES! This is going to be the first time I've seen a Pokemon movie at a theatre in years, and I can't wait! Maybe that was also inspiring me to write XD**

**So Loki and Misty's (or rather, Loki's one sided) affair will continue into next chapter. Will Ash and Brock be able to find them before Loki does anything worse? Will Ash kill Loki for what he's doing?**

**Until next time, keep on reading and reviewing!**


	15. The Great Rescue

**Hellooo everyone! It feels like forever since I last put out a new chapter. But it really hasn't been that long...hmm. All I know is I'm gonna be super busy in the next 2 weeks, so I really wanted to get this one out. It's a pretty exciting installment, if I do say so myself :P**

**So, if you'll recall from last chapter, we ended with Loki _kissing_ Misty. That's right; he's even worse than we thought! So how will Misty respond to this unexpected devolpment? And is Ash finally on his way?**

**Let's find out!**

* * *

><p>Misty's eyes were wide in shock, her body frozen in a static state. She was dimly aware of what was happening to her, but she wasn't positive until she could feel Loki trying to slip his tongue into her mouth. Misty gasped and shoved him away, her eyes frantic as he confusedly stared into her face.<p>

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Misty hissed, her anger quickly rising.

"I thought it was fairly obvious," Loki's husky voice teased the flustered red head.

"You…you…I'm married!" Misty cried, feeling as if her heart was shattering. "I have a husband, and I have children with him! I love him dearly, and you just go and make a move on me?"

"Your husband is out of the picture," Loki shrugged carelessly. "All you have now is your children. But, if you play your cards right, you can have me as well."

"I'd never want you!" Misty stormed. "Not in a million years! I'd rather end up alone than with you!"

"Then it would appear that you're on your way," Loki smirked.

Not being able to take anymore, Misty snatched Gyrados' poke ball off her belt with a trembling hand, holding it out threateningly towards her captor. Loki looked caught off guard for a moment, but just as quickly as he'd lost it, he regained his composure and pried the sphere from Misty's delicate fingers.

"HEY!" Misty screamed, those same fingers curling up underneath her palm to form a tight fist.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Loki purred as he tossed the ball into the air several times, catching it effortlessly each time. "Personally, I just think you're rather stupid."

Misty just stood there with her mouth agape, stunned that Loki had taken her poke ball just like that. Grabbing Misty by the arm, further shocking the young woman, Loki took the five other poke balls off of her belt, storing them away in the pocket of his vest.

"We wouldn't want to have any more problems, now would we?" Loki threw Misty an evil expression.

"Give me my Pokémon back!" Misty demanded. Loki tightened his grip on Misty, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I'll give you a choice," Loki offered, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Your Pokémon, or your children. It's up to you."

Misty began breathing heavily, her heart racing in her chest. The baby chose to awake at that moment, kicking anxiously in her stomach. Wincing, Misty looked away from Loki and answered, "My children. Don't hurt them, please."

"As long as you behave, I'll have no reason to harm them. Or you, for that matter."

With that, Loki released his grip on Misty, causing her to stumble forward slightly. Panting, Misty straightened herself out and stood up straight, placing a hand on her swollen belly. Loki kept his eyes locked on her figure, his shoulders pulling back as he folded his arms behind his back.

"That will be all for tonight, my dear," Loki commented airily. "You may return to your chambers now."

Misty released another sharp breath before walking out of the room as briskly as she could. As she walked back towards her own quarters, Misty wrapped her arms around herself and hung her head, feeling the tears spilling out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

_Ash…where are you?_

**XXX**

"Brock! Brock, wake up!"

Brock jumped up with a start, finding that Ash was violently shaking him by the shoulder. The Pokémon master looked particularly troubled, even more so than usual with his current predicament.

"Ash, what is it?" Brock yawned as he rubbed his eyes. Looking up into the sky, Brock realized that the sun was hardly peeking over the clouds. It was still early in the morning.

"I…I'm getting aura signals," Ash gripped Brock's shoulder a little more tightly.

"Aura signals?" Brock repeated, his head still feeling rather heavy. "From where? Or, rather, from who? A…a Pokémon?"

"No," Ash shook his head slowly. "From…from my baby."

"Uh…_your _baby?" Brock looked quite puzzled as he gently pulled at Ash's shirt. "Is there something you're not telling me, bud?"

"Arceus, Brock, I meant the baby that _Misty _is carrying," Ash smacked the Pokémon doctor's hand away from his muscular stomach. "Wake up, Brocko."

"A little hard to do when I haven't had my coffee yet," Brock shook his head as he ran a hand through his tangled brown mane. "Although, with what you just told me, I think I'm a little more awake now." Sitting up all the way, Brock stared at Ash and prompted, "Your unborn child can use aura? I knew she had it, but she can actually _use_ it?"

"She's special, Brock," Ash smiled softly. "She really is. And…once I found out her aura was already active, I kind of formed an aura bond with her."

"And what does that do?" Brock queried.

"Not too much, since she's an unborn baby," Ash explained. "But it brings us closer. I can sense her emotions and stuff like that. The thing is, since her aura is _really _raw, I can only sense it sometimes. And typically, she's only able to send out those signals when she's upset."

"So, she's in trouble?" Brock gaped.

"I think they all are," Ash covered his eyes with his hand. "Hurry Brock…"

"Ash, are you alright?" Brock's tone reflected a sense of concern. "You kind of seem like you're in pain."

"N…no….I'm fine Brock," Ash shook his head without removing his hand from its current position. "Really…"

"Ash, come on, don't lie to me," Brock pleaded.

"Brock! I mean it!" Ash stormed, finally throwing his hand down. "I'm…" He trailed off, his eyes going blank. Brock leaned in closer to his younger friend, confused as to why he'd suddenly stopped speaking. Groaning, Ash fell over onto his side, his eyes closing tightly as he twitched in pain.

"Ash!" Brock cried, grabbing onto Ash and trying to pull him up. "Come on, Ash, get up!"

Try as he might, Brock knew there was no way he'd be able to get Ash off the ground. He wasn't a little boy anymore; he was strong and well built.

"Brock…" Ash murmured.

"What is it Ash?" Brock asked hurriedly.

Wordlessly, Ash's eyes snapped open, causing Brock to gasp and fall backwards slightly. The Pokémon master's eyes were glowing a bright sapphire, a tell tale sign that his aura was currently activated.

"Brock…" Ash spoke softly again, his gaze rising to the Pokémon doctor. "I know where they are."

**XXX**

At the same time, Misty was lying in bed between her two young children, who were cuddled up against her sides. She was wincing, as a small pain stung in the middle of her stomach. It wasn't up to the same level it had been before, when she found out that Loki was trying to interrupt the aura connection between Ash and the unborn baby, but it hurt nonetheless.

Misty rolled her eyes back towards the single window in the room. She could see rays of sunlight beginning to shine through, the sunrise likely occurring just outside the prison of the airship.

_I probably shouldn't let Aiden and Michelle sleep in, _Misty thought idly to herself, _I don't want them ending up like Ash._

She smiled at the thought of her husband, but that little grin quickly became an emphasized frown. She missed him dearly, and wanted nothing more than to be with him. Misty could only hope he was out there looking for her and the twins. While Castor had befriended the young mother, Misty could only assume he wouldn't think of helping her and the children to freedom. That would mean defying his master.

Another pain shot through Misty's stomach, and she hissed quietly.

She was afraid if she didn't get out of here soon, something horrible would fall upon her and her family. And Misty wasn't going to let that happen.

**XXX**

"I can feel them going in this direction!"

Ash was running at full speed, his eyes still lit a bright shade of sapphire. His aura was guiding him towards wherever his wife and children were, thanks to the distress of his and Misty's unborn daughter.

"And you're sure?" Brock called from behind. He was several feet back from Ash, not running quite as fast as the Pokémon master but still booking it.

"I'm positive," Ash shook his head. "And we're getting a lot closer. I can feel her aura getting stronger."

Pikachu's ears were twitching excitedly, searching for any surrounding sound that could indicate a location of his missing family. Suddenly, they stood completely still, Pikachu's beady little eyes opening wide as he caught a faint sound; one so low that it couldn't be heard by human ears.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, clawing at Ash's shirt.

"I can't stop right now Pikachu!" Ash replied without skipping a beat.

"Pi, pikapi!" Pikachu tried again. "Pika pikachu!"

"What?" Ash finally slowed down and turned his head to look at Pikachu. "You hear something, buddy?"

"Pi," Pikachu nodded, his ears twitching again. With a flick of his head, Pikachu growled lowly and pointed his nose up towards the sky. "Pika pi, pikapi."

"Huh? In the sky?" Ash looked up into the still early morning clouds.

Suddenly, a soft rumbling could be heard. It sounded almost like a motor, and it was coming closer and closer with each passing second. From right over the trees, a large silver air ship appeared, soaring high above the forest.

"There!" Ash shrieked, hardly believing their luck. He turned to Brock, his glowing eyes wide in shock. "That's Loki's air ship! That's where he took Misty, Aiden, and Michelle! They're up there!"

"How are we going to get all the way up to it, though?" Brock frowned slightly. He was ecstatic they were able to find their desired location, but getting up there was going to be a slight challenge.

"I've got this under control, Brocko!" Ash cheered. Plucking a poke ball off of his belt, Ash stared at it for a short second before throwing it emphatically, calling out, "Charizard, I need you!"

The large, fire dragon materialized before Ash, his eyes narrowed in anticipation. He glanced at Ash and blew out a puff of smoke, waiting for an order from his trainer.

"Charizard, I found where Misty, Aiden, and Michelle are," Ash informed seriously. He pointed upwards, and Charizard turned his attention towards the sky. "They're up in that air ship! They were taken by that jerk who beat you with the Salamence!"

This _really_ infuriated Charizard. The mighty orange dragon growled loudly, a fire going off in his eyes.

"Right, so I need you to fly me up there!" Ash continued. His tone becoming pleading, he went on, "please Charizard. I'm counting on you."

Charizard thought for a moment before letting out a loud roar, lifting Ash up and throwing him onto his back. Ash groaned at the impact but quickly sorted himself out, holding tightly onto Charizard's back as he prepared for the flight.

"Should I stay down here?" Brock asked. "I can call out some of my Pokémon in case we need back up on the ground."

"Good idea," Ash nodded. "Besides, I don't want to put you in the face of danger as well. If I don't come back, at least I'll be with my family."

"Ash…" Brock began.

"Really Brock, it's okay," Ash smiled encouragingly at his oldest friend. "I don't mind being imprisoned. I just want to see my wife, and my children, and know they're okay."

"Please try to come back," was all Brock could formulate.

"I will," Ash beamed.

Before anything else could be said, Charizard snarled again and lifted himself into the air, earning a slightly terrified yelp from his raven haired master.

"Good luck!" Brock called as Charizard flew up and away.

Breathing out sharply, Ash leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Charizard's neck, eyes watering up as the wind attacked his face and whipped around his body.

"I was sort of hoping you'd wait for my command!" Ash yelled to his Pokémon. Charizard, in turn, just blew out some more smoke and picked up the pace, quickly approaching Loki's aircraft.

"Pikapi, pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked. _Ash, how do we get in there?_

"That's a good question," Ash bit his lip.

Charizard roared, setting his eyes on a small portion of the ship. Zooming in towards it, the fire type stopped right before the spot, poking his nose at it. Ash leaned forward and tried to figure out what it was that Charizard was trying to tell him.

"A vent?" Ash asked. Charizard nodded.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Hey, yeah!" Ash suddenly brightened up. "We could sneak in through the vent! Nice work Charizard." Charizard huffed quietly, as if to say '_I know.'_

Ash leaned over the side of Charizard, making sure to lock his legs around the tremendous fire type's body to secure himself. Grabbing onto the metal cover, Ash began yanking at the bars, trying to remove it from the vent. All it did was wiggle a bit, however, and showed no sign of coming off anytime soon.

"Oh, come on," Ash groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Pikachu furrowed his brow in thought before coming up with a great idea. Building up energy, Pikachu unleashed a thunderbolt attack on the vent cover, causing it to fall right off and go tumbling towards the ground.

"Hey, way to go Pikachu!" Ash scratched behind his partner's ears. "You always come through for me, buddy."

Nodding, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and into the narrow space backing up slightly to give Ash room to enter. Gently tapping Charizard to get him to move closer to the opening, Ash bit his lip and climbed into the vent, turning around to look back at his loyal fire dragon.

"Thanks so much Charizard," Ash gratefully thanked the Pokémon. Retrieving his poke ball, Ash held it out and called, "you can take a nice rest now. I might need you later."

With Charizard returned, Ash once again turned in the opposite direction and began crawling down the space, with Pikachu leading the way.

"Just hang on Mist," Ash murmured to himself. "I'm coming for you."

**XXX**

As Brock waited back on the ground, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, a somewhat familiar whistling sound could be heard coming from up above.

"Hmm?" Brock twisted his mouth and looked up. "What the…"

Something was falling down towards Brock, becoming larger and larger in size as it drew closer.

"WAAAH!" Shrieking, Brock jumped out of the way just in time as the unidentified object crashed into the ground, causing a small cloud of dirt to puff up. After deeming the situation safe, Brock inched towards the fallen item and leaned over, examining it with cautious curiosity.

"A burnt vent cover? Where the _heck_ did this come from?"

**XXX**

"Man, how long does this thing go on for?"

Ash was strong, and he had a good stamina, but he was getting pretty tired. He felt like he'd been crawling through this vent forever, and hadn't yet gotten a single clue as to where his wife and children were. The baby had stopped using her aura as soon as Ash had gotten into the vent. He could only assume it was because he was in her vicinity now.

"Pikapi!"

Ash's head snapped up, and he found himself staring at Pikachu, who was sniffing at another vent cover; this one on the left side of the vent.

"Pikachu, we've already gone past, like, a hundred of those," Ash sighed dejectedly. "And none of them lead to _anything_. What makes this one any different?"

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu hissed at his trainer.

"Misty?" Ash repeated in surprise. Pikachu nodded and backed away from the cover, allowing Ash to look through it himself. Breathing out, Ash moved closer to the bars and peered through them, his dark brown eyes searching the room through the metal. "I don't see anything," he whispered sadly. Why would Pikachu raise his hopes like that?

"Mommy, I'm _so_ hungry!"

"I know you are baby. That's why you should've eaten breakfast."

"It was no good, Mommy."

"Misty, Michelle!" A huge grin broke out on Ash's face. "You're right Pikachu, they are in there!"

"Pi," Pikachu scoffed. _Duh._

"Quick, use thunderbolt on the vent cover, just like you did before!"

"Pi! Pi…ka…CHU!" Pikachu unleashed his signature move, and blew the cover right off its hinges. It landed with a loud clatter on the floor, audibly alarming the room's inhabitants. Ash could hear the frightened cries of his children, and the sharp gasp from Misty.

"Oops," Ash murmured. He poked his head out of the opening and looked around the room. Tilting his gaze downward, Ash found the twins cuddling up against Misty as they whimpered, while she was busy trying to soothe them. "Guys, don't be afraid," Ash called out softly. "It's just me."

All three looked up at Ash, jaws dropping at the sight of their beloved husband and father.

"DADDY!" Aiden and Michelle practically screamed, jumping up and down on the bed in sheer excitement.

"Shh, not so loud you two!" Misty gently scolded as she pulled the children down. "We don't want Loki to find Daddy."

"Oh yeah," Aiden lowered his voice and frowned.

"Don't get sad champ," Ash smiled sympathetically. He clambered out of the vent, lowering himself onto the bed with a small _thud. _Pikachu jumped out right after, landing on top of Ash's head. Aiden and Michelle pulled themselves away from their mother and jumped into Ash's laps, cuddling against him as Ash patted their heads and gave them several adoring kisses.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu cried happily.

"Hi there Pikachu!" Misty beamed, gathering the electric mouse into her arms and giving him a tight hug. "I've missed you so much! And I'm glad to see you feeling better after that toxic attack."

"Ka," Pikachu nodded, his tears twitching gently.

"And you didn't miss me?" Ash put on a little pout. Misty stopped blinking, and loosened her grip on Pikachu. Squeaking, the little yellow Pokémon jumped onto the ground, the twins eagerly following after him in order to play. Ash chuckled as he watched the three, but when he turned back to Misty, he noticed tears running down her fair cheeks.

"Oh Mist," Ash sighed, reaching out to brush away the drops. "I was only kidding when I asked that. You know how much I love you."

Wordlessly, Misty flung herself into Ash's arms, crying against his shoulder. Ash smiled sadly and touched the back of her head, gently stroking her hair. After a few minutes, Misty finally relaxed and stopped sobbing. Slowly, she pulled herself away from Ash, her face quite red and tear stained.

"I'm sorry," Misty whispered with a small sniffle. "I just…it's bad here, Ash."

"I can imagine," Ash nodded. He leaned in to try and give Misty a kiss, but as soon as his lips brushed against hers, Misty retreated very quickly, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong honey?"

"N…nothing," Misty hiccupped, looking over her shoulder as she closed her eyes tightly. Ash didn't believe her, of course, but he didn't want to push it. Stressing Misty out anymore than she already was had to be the worst idea possible.

"Is our baby okay?" Ash changed the subject. He gently rubbed her stomach while glancing up at Misty's wife. "Because I swear if that jerk hurt her…"

"No, she's fine," Misty interrupted, shaking her head rapidly. "I just…don't know how you found us."

"Our little baby," Ash patted the bump. Misty raised an incredulous eyebrow, to which Ash explained, "she was sending out aura signals to me, and that's how I found your location. Our bond is way too powerful to destroy."

At this, Misty smirked for a moment before frowning once again. She wouldn't dare tell Ash about Loki's attempts to break that sacred bond.

"I've got to get you three out of here," Ash sighed, running a hand through his tangled raven locks. Misty opened her eyes and looked back at Ash, her mouth still bent into a frown.

"But how?" Misty's voice was breaking.

"Back through the vent," Ash pointed up at the space. "Same way I got in."

"You really think I'm going to fit in there?" Misty laughed dryly as she held onto her stomach. Ash smirked, glad to see his wife finally opening back up to him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Ash grabbed her other hand and held it in his own. "'Cause you're not that big, angel."

"You're too good to me, Ash," Misty smiled sadly. With a certain hesitance, she crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Ash, resting her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. Chuckling quietly, Ash returned the embrace and kissed her on the top of her delicate ear. Looking up into his dark brown eyes, Misty pursed her lips before asking, "When should we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Ash replied quietly.

"So I suppose now would be best," Misty lowered her arms and looked down anxiously at her hands. Ash breathed out and smiled gently, once again taking his wife's hands and giving them a light squeeze.

"We'll be fine, my sweet mermaid. Don't get so worried."

Suddenly, Misty's serious demeanor cracked, and she began to laugh rather heartily. Ash was confused by Misty's abrupt outburst, but her next words clarified it for him.

"_Sweet mermaid?_ Ash, when have you _ever_ called me that?"

"I'm just trying to make you feel better!" Ash blushed furiously, his face burning as if Charizard had just blasted him with a flame thrower. "It kind of worked though, right? You're laughing."

"Yeah, I guess it did," Misty giggled behind her hand.

"So, you want to get out of here?" Ash offered after the laughter died down. Misty's expression softened and she stared worriedly at her husband. "I promise we can do it. You've gotta trust me, Mist."

"Alright," Misty nodded slowly, raising her twinkling eyes. "If you insist, Mr. Pokémon Master."

"And I do," Ash winked at her. He turned his attention back to the floor, where Aiden and Michelle were busy chasing Pikachu around the small space they had been provided with. "Aiden, Michelle!" They stopped running and looked up curiously at their father, who chuckled in return. "Come up here, you two."

The children squealed and began making valiant, eager attempts to clamber up onto the bed. Ash held his hands out, preparing to help the two, but they were able to pull themselves up without any assistance, causing Ash and Misty to throw each other knowing grins.

"They're definitely ours," Misty laughed softly.

Ash joined in, but was quickly stopped when Aiden and Michelle tackled him down onto the bed. He grunted before shaking out his head and opening his eyes, everything slowly coming back into focus. What he found was Aiden and Michelle both leaning over him, their hands on his strong chest and their eyes locked with his. Michelle's long red hair was just brushing against Ash's cheek, and he was pretty sure that at least one of Aiden's knees was digging into his lower stomach.

"Ah…what's up you two?" Ash asked in a slightly strangled voice.

"Hugs," Michelle answered with a playful smile. As if to further prove her point, Michelle lowered herself and wrapped her small arms around her father's chest as far as they would go. Ash chuckled and hugged her back, lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Are we gonna go now Daddy?" Aiden's impatient voice broke the gentle embrace between Michelle and Ash. "I'm hungry. The food here is no good."

"Yes," Ash sat up, although with a little difficulty. His children were nowhere near as light as they'd been when they were younger. Once he was sitting up fully, Aiden and Michelle jumped off of him, crawling over to their mother and instead choosing to rest themselves on her legs while Ash formulated their escape.

"Ash," Misty's voice broke Ash out of his trance. He blinked and turned his gaze over to her. Pikachu, meanwhile, squeaked excitedly and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, ears twitching in anticipation. "Put Aiden and Michelle into the vent first. Just in case something should happen, I want to make sure that they're guaranteed to make it out safe and sound."

Ash nodded without any hesitance. Looking down at his waiting children, Ash beckoned, "You hear that, guys? Daddy's going to get you out of here. Just stay quiet, okay?"

The twins nodded feverously. Biting his lip, Ash first gathered Michelle into his arms, giving her a comforting hug as he got up onto his feet. Steadying himself on the soft mattress, Ash raised his arms and settled Michelle into the vent. She peeked out at him with scared eyes, to which Ash just smiled comfortingly and patted her on the cheek.

"Just stay right there baby girl," Ash whispered soothingly. "You won't be alone for much longer."

Leaning back down, Ash picked up Aiden and repeated the same thing he'd done with Michelle. With both children in the vent, Ash knelt back down in front of Misty and stared deeply into her emerald eyes. Misty still looked rather nervous, but Ash had no choice but to ignore it. He was going to get Misty out of this place if it killed him.

"Let's go angel," Ash helped her to stand up. Misty did so shakily, her breathing becoming fast paced and more erratic. Ash could feel her grip on his hands tightening, and before long her eyes were shut tight. "Misty, please, relax. Just trust me." Misty sighed shakily but nodded. She allowed Ash to lead her closer to the vent, where the twins were still leaning out, watching their parents very intently.

"Aiden, Michelle, move back a little bit," Ash gently asked the two. They crawled back silently, making room in the vent for their mother. Ash turned Misty's head towards him, and she reluctantly opened up her eyes. "I can't lift you up into there the same way I did with Aiden and Michelle. You'll end up hitting your head or getting hurt."

"So what do I do?" Misty cocked her head.

Ash thought for a moment before cupping his hands and holding them out in front of them, closer to his midsection. "Put your foot in my hands, and you'll climb up."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, just hurry."

Misty sighed and nodded, but did as Ash instructed her. Settling her foot into his hands, she pushed up, earning a grunt from Ash. Nervously, Misty gripped the bottom edge of the vent and began crawling into the space. While she was busying herself with this, the sound of a door unlocking could be heard, causing everyone in the room's breath to hitch. Misty tried to speed up the task at hand, but with her stomach getting in the way; it seemed that would be impossible.

"Misty, hurry!" Ash hissed.

"I'm trying!" Misty cried. But just as she got her upper body into the vent, the door swung open, and a sharp gasp pierced the air.

"Just _what_ do you think you are doing?"

* * *

><p><strong>Oops. Cliffhanger!<strong>

**Right, so they're not in the clear just yet. Ash is really going to have to think on his feet to save the day! Although, maybe he won't...**

**Also, can I just say how _AMAZING _the new movies were? I saw White in the theatere, and I have Black on my DVR, which I'm waiting to watch until my friends can come over. Seriously though, if you haven't gotten a chance to see the movies yet, I HIGHLY reccomend them. It's already sooo much better than any of the Diamond and Pearl movies.**

**Again, I thank you for all of the amazing reviews and continued suppourt! It's really awesome and motivating. You guys rule! So, until next time, dear readers!**


	16. Caught in the Act

**Ow...my hands...**

**I literally just wrote almost all of this chapter in the past 3 hours. I just got so into it, I couldn't stop! My hands are pretty much numb now, but I don't really care. I'm so excited to get this new chapter out! It has a whole bunch of action and excitement in it!**

**At the end of last chapter, Ash was able to locate Misty, Aiden, and Michelle, thanks to the aura bond he shares with the unborn baby. As he's helping them to escape, however, someone walks in on them. Who is it? You're about to find out...**

* * *

><p>"Just <em>what<em> do you think you are doing?"

Ash gasped and whipped his head around. Loki was standing in the doorway, a furious rush of anger flashing through his silver eyes. All of his former composure was beginning to chip away, and the calm façade was quickly disappearing.

Grunting, Misty finally pulled herself into the vent, greatly assisted by the adrenaline that was currently racing through her body.

Pikachu squeaked and jumped up right behind Misty, making sure to squeeze in front of the gym leader so that he could be the second line of protection for the children.

This left only Ash, who was still standing on the bed with a dumbstruck look on his face. Loki began storming towards the Pokémon master, and this is when Ash's brain decided to react. With a sharp breath, Ash clamped onto the bottom edge of the vent and pulled himself up effortlessly, thanks to his great upper body strength.

"Move! Quick!" Ash ordered as he pulled himself up. He felt Loki grab at his ankle, but Ash would have none of that. Throwing his foot back, Ash nearly connected with the devious villain's face. He just grazed the silver haired man's cheek, but it was enough to throw Loki off. Free from his enemy's grip, Ash was able to get both legs into the vent, and he began to crawl quickly after his family, eager to get them to safety.

"Daddy, I don't know where to go!" Michelle cried from the front.

"I'll tell you where to go baby," Ash assured gently. "Just don't stop, okay? We have to move as quickly as we can."

As the four (five if you counted Pikachu) climbed through the empty metal space, Misty glanced over her shoulder and threw Ash a sad smile. "Thank you, Ash."

In response, Ash gave a careful grin but said nothing in response. He knew that they weren't just out of the woods yet.

**XXX**

Loki groaned quietly, rubbing at the sore patch of skin that had been assaulted by Ash's sneaker.

"That foolish master," Loki muttered under his breath as he got to his feet and dusted off his silver and blue outfit. "He will pay dearly for what he's done."

Reaching to his belt, Loki unclipped one of his poke balls and pressed the center button on the sphere. It unleashed a ray of blue light, which soon materialized into his Dustox.

"Tox!" Dustox called out, waiting for orders from his master.

"Dustox, fly into that vent and find that troublesome family," Loki ground his teeth together. "And make sure to punish them for their deed."

"Tox," Dustox nodded, fluttering into the open space. Loki watched after the dual type, his silver eyes still narrowed in anger.

"You'll all be sorry," Loki swore to no one in particular. "No one is going to deny me of what I want, and rightfully deserve."

**XXX**

"Daddy, I'm tired!"

Ash hung his head slightly as Michelle cried from the front. He felt so bad for doing this, seeing as he and his family had been crawling around for quite some time now. Misty looked over her shoulder at him, and Ash could see that her cheeks were slightly reddened from the trek. Being nearly six months pregnant, Ash assumed all this crawling around wasn't comfortable for her at all. The guilt was eating him alive, but Ash knew they had no other choice.

"I know, and I'm sorry princess," Ash called back sympathetically. "But it shouldn't be too much longer now. And once we get out, you can sleep in my arms for as long as you'd like."

Michelle grumbled slightly, but resumed her crawling. After only a few seconds, Misty gasped and cried out "oh no!"

"Misty?" Ash began to silently panic as he grabbed onto his wife's shoulder. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"My Pokémon," Misty closed her eyes as she groaned and threw her head back. "I forgot! He took them from me!"

Ash just kept his hand in its place, his mouth hanging open as his face was frozen into a singular expression. A thousand different thoughts raced through his mind, but before he could even begin to respond, Misty spoke up with the very words Ash was expecting to hear.

"We have to go back."

"No Misty," Ash quickly shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"Ash, they're my Pokémon!" Misty wailed, turning herself around completely. Her emerald eyes were full of tears, and her cheeks began to grow even more crimson as she tried to suppress her crying fit. "The same ones I've raised and trained and become friends with! They're my strongest Pokémon too! Vaporeon, Azumarill, Corsola…I need them back!"

"Misty…" Ash tried again. He wanted so badly to hold her back; he feared too greatly for her and the baby. At the same time, he felt like a monster for denying Misty her Pokémon. Ash knew that if someone had taken _his _Pokémon, he'd stop at no mercy to retrieve them.

"I'm a gym leader," Misty broke the silence darkly. "Losing my Pokémon would _devastate _me. It's like losing my children," Misty glanced over at Aiden and Michelle, who were observing her with sad and curious eyes. Looking back at Ash, Misty shook her head and whimpered, "I can't go through with that. I can't live with myself knowing that I didn't do all I could to get my Pokémon back."

Ash breathed out heavily and looked down towards his hands, which he had now lowered onto the cold metal bottom of the vent. Without raising his head up, Ash bit his lip and countered, "I'll get them back for you."

"But Ash…" Misty began.

"I'm not letting you go back there Misty," Ash's tone was beginning to grow stern. "It's too big of a risk. I'll put myself into the line of danger, but not you or the twins."

"Ash," Misty frowned.

"Don't worry about me," Ash shook his head. "You, Aiden, and Michelle should just keep going. If I manage to get out, I'll meet you on the ground." Reaching to his belt, Ash unclipped Charizard's poke ball and handed it off to Misty. "You can use Charizard to get you down there safely."

"You can't…" Misty's voice was shaking.

"I'm the head of this family," the way Ash said it indicated this was a final matter. "No one is going to take the fall for me."

"But-"

"Just promise me you'll stay safe," Ash interrupted her. Misty drew her shoulders back and nodded slowly. "Thank you," Ash stroked her cheek and pressed a kiss against her forehead before turning around to head back down the vent. It would be a long journey, but he wasn't about to let Misty's whole team get stolen. Her Pokémon were just as important to her as his were to him. Letting them go was out of the question.

"Dus!"

Ash stopped moving and his head snapped up.

"Pika?" Pikachu, who had remained rather quiet during the whole ordeal, piped up in response to the sudden noise.

"Wh…what was that?" Misty began to tremble.

"Dustox!"

The dual type Pokémon was calling out its name as it soared down the vent, heading straight towards the escaping family.

"That's Loki's Dustox!" Ash gasped. "The same one I battled against with Infernape!"

"Ka!" Pikachu spat, jumping right over both Misty and Ash in order to stand defensively in front of them all.

Dustox began to frantically flap his wings, creating a series of silver crescents that shot towards Ash and his family. Pikachu was easily thrown backwards, being that there was nothing for him to grip on to with his little paws. Aiden and Michelle began to slip away as well, earning frightened gasps from their parents.

"Aiden! Michelle!" Ash cried. He lunged for them and was able to gather both children into his arms, allowing them to snuggle deeply into his body.

"Dus," Dustox growled lowly. He floated above Misty so he was behind her, and once again created a powerful silver wind attack, this one with even more strength than before. Now it was Misty's turn to be pushed away, although it was in the opposite direction of her children and Pikachu. Instead, she was heading right back to where she'd just escaped from.

"No, Misty!" Ash yelled.

Misty groaned and held out her arms, trying desperately to grab onto something…_anything _that would keep her from sliding backwards. But the metal vent was far too smooth, and there was really nothing to hold onto.

Ash tried his best to climb forward with Aiden and Michelle still held in his arms. He knew he had to save Misty, but letting go of Aiden and Michelle was definitely a no go. He tried to guard both children with just one of his arms, and used the now free one to try and grab Misty's hand.

Grunting, Misty threw out her left arm, and stretched it out towards Ash as much as she could. Ash could see the glint of her engagement ring, the center diamond twinkling in the weak light that was shining through the small gaps of the vent. Their fingers brushed together, but as soon as they connected, Dustox unleashed a highly powerful gust attack, and forced Misty all the way down the vent.

"MISTY!" Ash screamed. Aiden and Michelle gasped from his arm and began to cry out for their mother, trying desperately to crawl out of their father's hold. "No, don't move!" Ash begged the children, holding them even more tightly.

"We need to save Mommy!" Aiden yelled tearfully.

"She'll get hurt!" Michelle sobbed.

"I…I can't," Ash stammered. "I can't let go of you two."

"We can all go, Daddy!" Aiden was still shouting at his father. "Come on! Don't leave Mommy!"

"I'm not leaving her Aiden!" Ash cried, trying to hold back tears. He'd never cried in front of his children before, and he wasn't about to start now. "But I've gotta save you two!"

"We need Mommy!" Michelle retorted.

"But we'll get trapped with that bad man again," Ash was trying his hardest to reason with the twins, but they didn't seem to be buying any of it.

"You'll be with us this time," Aiden pouted.

"Ash!"

The Pokémon master's ears perked at this. It certainly sounded like Misty's voice. But hadn't she been blown all the way down the vent?

"Misty?" Ash called tentatively. He began to crawl forward slowly, the twins waiting in his arms with bated breath. They were hoping with all of their might that their mother was okay. Aiden and Michelle loved her dearly, and if it were up to them, she wouldn't have been in any of this trouble in the first place.

After moving forward a little more, Ash saw Misty holding desperately onto a piece of the vent that had come loose. Her face was red and eyes wide in terror. Gasping, Ash reached out his still free arm and grabbed Misty's hand, pulling her over to him. Misty smiled tearfully and hugged Ash, burying her face into his chest.

"Thank you," Misty murmured shakily.

"Yay Mommy," Michelle hummed sweetly, reaching out to stroke her mother's hair.

"Where did Dustox go?" Ash asked hurriedly, lifting Misty's head up by placing his fingers under chin.

"He kept on flying even after I got thrown all the way back here," Misty replied. "I think he went back to Loki, probably to get some more orders."

"We need to get out of here, now," Ash tightly grabbed Misty's upper arm. She whined slightly and her lip quivered.

"Ash, my Pokémon…"

"Misty…" Ash furrowed his brow. He really didn't want it to come to this, but he didn't see any other choice. "At this point, it's either the Pokémon or you. Please, don't endanger yourself, or our baby girl, any further."

"No!" Misty yelled, yanking her arm away. "I already told you I can't choose! It isn't right! You can leave with Aiden and Michelle. I don't care a thing about myself as long as they're safe!"

"And what about our baby?" Ash nearly snapped. Misty drew in a sharp breath and sat there speechless. "What about her? If you're in danger, then so is she."

"I can't do it…" Misty hung her head and began to cry, worrying her two young children. "My poor Pokémon…I feel awful…"

"I know sweetheart, I know," Ash tried to comfort her. "This is the hardest thing I'll ever have to ask you to do. And I don't like it either. But I don't know what this guy is going to do. He could kill you or the twins for all I know. I know he's capable of it, and that scares me way too much to take any chances."

Misty whimpered but eventually nodded and began to follow after her husband. With their backs turned, however, none of them saw the dark green vines traveling up the vent, feeling their way around the smooth metal confines. One eventually brushed up against the bottom of Misty's shoe, causing her to look over her shoulder. She caught sight of the vines and shrieked, which caused the twin trailing plants to shoot up and wrap themselves around her body.

"ASH!" Misty yelped. Ash whipped around and saw Misty being dragged down the vent once again. Growling, he jumped for his wife, but she was being pulled away far too quickly.

"MISTY!" Ash screamed so loud his voice began to grow hoarse.

"Go!" Misty called out urgently to him. "Get Aiden and Michelle out! Leave me!"

"I can't!" Ash wailed.

"You have to!" Misty's voice began to grow more and more faint, until finally, Ash could hear her no longer.

"M…Mommy?" Aiden whispered sadly.

"We…can't stay here," Ash turned around and began crawling as quickly as possible. The twins continued to protest in his arms, but Ash had no other choice but to ignore their desperate pleas to save their mother.

Ash would find a way to get his wife back. He swore to Arceus he would.

**XXX**

Misty struggled as best as she could to extricate herself from the dark green vines, but it was doing no good. If anything, it was only making their grip more tight, which was beginning to cause Misty some pain. The baby, meanwhile, thrashed in her stomach; a response to Misty's building stress and fear.

"Ow, stop it baby girl!" Misty hissed to her stomach, putting her head down as tears slipped out of her eyes. "Please, stop…"

At this point, Misty was more pleading to the vines that were wrapped around her body, and not so much the unborn child who was twisting around inside of her. She couldn't be upset with the poor thing; it was just _so _scared. It made sense, since Misty was too. If the vines would just let go of her, then maybe Misty could get the baby to calm down.

After what felt like an eternity, Misty was pulled out of the vent, and found herself back in the room where Loki had kept her and her children as prisoners for the last few days. Glancing down, Misty saw Loki standing with his arms folded, looking up at her with a devious smirk and gently narrowed eyes. To his left floated that pesky Dustox of his, while to his right was the largest Venusaur that Misty had ever seen. Looking towards the giant red flower on his back, Misty noticed that the vines were coming out of the base of the grass type's bloom.

"Did you really think that you could get away?" Loki clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "I see I was right before. You truly are the dumbest girl I've ever seen."

Misty let out a ragged sob as more tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't want to cry in front of Loki, but she felt that she couldn't hold them back anymore either. So she just let the water flow.

"Now now, there's no need to cry my love," Loki soothed. Misty found it odd that he was being so sweet to her. She knew, somewhere in the back of her head, that this evil man had to be up to _something. _"I see why you tried to escape from me. You wanted love, that's all. You should've just asked for it, darling."

He snapped his fingers, which led Venusaur to put Misty down on the floor. She just sat there, unmoving as she stared down at her hands. Chuckling huskily, Loki approached Misty and stood towering over her. Using his boot covered foot, he pushed Misty towards the bed, until her back hit the metal frame.

"I can sympathize with you, my dearest water trainer," Loki continued softly. "But I can't trust you anymore. No, that I simply cannot do."

He kneeled down in front of the gym leader and roughly grabbed her by the wrist. Misty wanted to pull it back, to strike Loki across the face and go running off somewhere. But she just couldn't. She didn't have the courage nor the energy to do such a thing. Yanking her arm back, which earned a pained little cry from Misty, Loki pulled several strands of rope out of his vest pocket and began to tie her hands together with one of the long, thick strands. He made no effort to do it gently, hurting Misty greatly along the way. The way Loki rubbed the rope against her milky skin caused Misty to cry even harder. The twine was raw and coarse, and as it dug into Misty's skin, it left several scrapes and even a deep cut or two.

"Oh, how you wish I wouldn't have to do this," Loki sighed almost dejectedly as he brushed his hand against Misty's cheek. Since she wasn't able to use her hands, Misty pulled her head away from Loki, growling quietly as she did so. Loki huffed in an un amused fashion, but said nothing more. Instead, he used the same actions on Misty's ankles that he had on her wrists, tying them together roughly and with no remorse.

"Your personality pains me, I'm afraid," Loki stood up once again when he was finished tying Misty's ankles together. She refused to look up at her captor, knowing that he was purposely trying to get an edge on her. Towering over her slumped and miserable figure was a good way to start for him, she supposed. "But it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can reform you. You're going to become my queen, after all, and my lesser half can't be so flighty as you are."

"I'm not going to be your queen!" Misty finally stormed, snapping her head up. Her face was red and her cheeks tear stained, but she had finally stopped crying. "I have a husband, and I love him! I don't even _like_ you! So there's not a chance in hell of me ever becoming your other half!"

"You should forget about that foolish husband of yours," Loki's tone and expression suddenly grew dark. "He is worthless; nothing but a pest. You can't get a thing out of him. But you and I, together, can create a force to be reckoned with. We'll raise that child as our own; it'll never know about its real father. And then you can give me my own children. The baby will have playmates, and we can raise them all to be aura guardians. Then, we'll unleash them upon the unexpecting, and gain ultimate control."

"Keep dreaming," Misty snarled. "You will get nowhere near my child, and I will _never_ have a child of yours!"

"You're still thinking about your husband, I can see it in your eyes." Loki sighed and shook his head. "The master is causing more trouble than I originally thought. Looks as if I'll have to get him out of your mind by force."

Kneeling once again in front of Misty, Loki reached behind her back towards her hands. When Misty felt him trying to pry her engagement ring off her finger, she gasped and pulled away, nearly falling over onto her side.

"You must learn to cooperate my dear," Loki chastised.

"And you must learn about personal space!" Misty snapped. "Stay the hell away from my engagement ring!"

"Are you never going to learn your lesson?" Loki folded his arms and shook his head.

"Clearly not," Misty bit.

"Well," Loki sighed as he reached into his back pocket, "I suppose that's partially my fault. I'm too lenient with you, I'm afraid. But perhaps _this," _Loki withdrew a switch blade and held it up to Misty's burgeoning stomach, "will teach you."

"_Stop!_" Misty shrieked, trying to inch away.

"I can sacrifice this one," Loki warned murkily with an evil glint in his eye. "It's not mine, and a connection has already been established. So, what will it be, my love?"

Misty whimpered and shook her hands until the ring fell to the floor with a clatter. Chuckling, Loki closed the blade and stuck it back in his pocket. Misty kept her eyes closed as Loki picked the ring up and pressed it into his palm.

"Now, you stay right here," Loki ordered as he got to his feet. "Now that you know what I'll do to your child, you should be more complacent."

Misty didn't nod, or move, or say anything. She felt as if she couldn't. She could hear Loki's boots clicking on the floor as he exited the room, and once she was positive he was gone, Misty slowly opened her eyes and looked down tearfully at her engorged stomach. The baby gave her a small kick, and for the first time in a while, Misty allowed her lips to bend up into a gentle smile.

"You're gonna be okay baby girl," Misty assured quietly. "Mommy isn't going to let anyone hurt you."

**XXX**

Ash sat behind his children on Charizard's back, his eyes set guiltily on the two. Even from the back, Ash could tell they were miserable over leaving their mother behind. Ash felt even worse than they did. Misty meant everything to him, just as their children did, and Ash wasn't about to just leave her behind.

"Aiden, Michelle," Ash gently prodded both of them. They turned around and gave him looks of anger, which actually frightened the Pokémon master. "Hey, don't get upset. I'm going to go back for Mommy. I would never leave her there! I just had to get you two to safety first."

With a rather loud roar, Charizard landed right in front of Brock, who looked slightly alarmed by the fire type's grand entrance.

"Wow, you really know how to make a scene, don't ya Charizard?" Brock chuckled nervously.

"Brock!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously. Brock saw the two and grinned boldly, holding his arms out for the children. They climbed off of Charizard and leapt into his arms, giving the Pokémon doctor a tight and loving embrace.

"I'm so happy to see you two safe and sound!" Brock laughed. Looking up at Ash, Brock frowned when he realized Misty hadn't been brought back with them. "Ash, where's Misty?"

"I have to go back for her Brock," Ash responded. He was still on Charizard's back, preparing to tell the orange dragon to fly back up to the air ship.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Brock asked skeptically.

"I'm getting my wife back," Ash growled. "And while I'm at it, I'll probably kill that jerk who took her." The idea of their father murdering someone caused Aiden and Michelle to become flustered, so Ash smiled sympathetically and apologized to his two young children.

"What about Aiden and Michelle?" Brock practically whispered.

"Watch them," Ash answered slowly.

"Ash…"

"You're their godfather Brock," Ash smiled sadly at his best friend. "I trust you."

"Pika," Pikachu, who had been riding on Ash's shoulder this whole time, agreed with his trainer's sentiments.

"Am I to assume Pikachu is going with you?" Brock motioned towards the electric mouse.

"Of course," Ash smiled at his partner. "He wants to fight for Misty too."

"Not so fast Pokémon master!"

Ash looked up into the sky, as did Brock and the twins. They all gasped at the sight, and before long, Ash was seething and tightening his hands into fists.

Loki was floating in between the group on the ground and the airship, riding on his Salamence. The sight of the flying dragon who had previously crushed him incensed Charizard, who roared forcefully and whipped around, flapping his wings heavily. He raced towards Salamence, preparing to attack, but Loki was quick to move himself and his monstrous Pokémon out of the way.

"I'm not here to fight you," Loki called out to Ash.

"Funny, because I'm planning on killing you," Ash threatened, no trace of a joke in his hard voice. Loki simply chuckled and threw his hair back, narrowing his eyes.

"You have no reason to kill me, dear master. What I once had of yours, I no longer have."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ash stormed. "What did you do to my wife?"

"That's for me to know," Loki answered steadily. "But all you need to know is she's no longer a concern."

"A concern?" Ash blinked before snarling and throwing a fist forward. "She's not a concern! I love her, with all of my heart! That's something you'll never understand! You could never love a single thing!"

"I beg to differ," Loki suddenly sounded highly agitated. His face was contorted, and angry. He looked ready to kill Ash himself. "Either way, your wife is now out of the way. And I have the proof right here."

Reaching into his pocket, Loki retrieved something small and whipped it at Ash. It bounced off of Ash's chest, and began to fall towards the ground. Ash saw it twinkle slightly, and his heart began to race. "Charizard!" He pulled at the fire type, who flew down towards the object, but not before blasting a flamethrower at his mortal enemy.

Zooming down, Ash was able to catch the falling object, holding it tightly in his hand. As Charizard straightened out, Ash opened his hand and observed the small treasure in the middle of his palm. When he saw what it was, his eyes snapped open, and his heart all but stopped.

It was Misty's engagement ring.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Ash now believes that Misty is dead. Good cliffhanger? I think so :P<strong>

**So what's going to happen next? Is Ash just going to give up? What is Loki going to do with Misty now that it's just him and her? **

**I got alot of reviews for last chapter, which was seriously awesome! I'm glad to know everyone liked it, and that everyone hates Loki! I seriously hate him too, and sometimes writing him is actually painful XD I just want him to get what he deserves! Will I do it though? ;)**

**So, until next time, keep on reading, reviewing, and being awesome!**


	17. A Deadly Game

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

**Sooo, I thought a nice Christmas present would be the newest chapter of this story ^^ I was really into this chapter and couldn't stop typing. It's an exciting one, that's for sure!**

**Last chapter, Ash was helping Misty and the twins to escape, but Loki caught them. Ash and the children got away, but Misty didn't. So, Loki tied her up and then took her engagement ring, bringing it to Ash and informing him that his wife had been killed.**

**Ash isn't just gonna let _that_ slide, is he? Find out...**

* * *

><p>Ash was numb.<p>

He couldn't feel, or think, or comprehend _anything _at this point. His whole world might as well have stopped.

In the palm of his hand, he held his beloved wife's engagement ring; her biggest treasure. She never went a day without wearing it, and never wanted to take it off. It symbolized Ash's love for her, his promise to be with her for all eternity.

Had eternity actually just ended?

Faintly, Ash grasped that Charizard was now landing back on the ground. The flapping of the orange dragon's wings was slowing down, creating a cool wind and delicate cloud of dust to swirl around Ash's frozen body. Even then, Ash didn't move. Charizard looked back at his trainer and snorted loudly, blowing two quick puffs of smoke out of his nostrils. Still, Ash made no attempt to budge.

Charizard could sense his trainer's displeasure, but knew the young man wasn't going to get off his back anytime soon. Huffing, Charizard gently threw Ash off so the black haired master landed on his knees with a quiet _thud._

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked softly, gently pawing at his best friend's shirt. Ash didn't respond. "Pika…"

Ash let out a shuttered breath and once again unfurled his fingers, which had closed up over the ring after Charizard tossed him to the ground. Staring at the ring, Ash let out one long, quiet breath as his heart pounded heavily in his ears.

The clearing in which he currently sat had no sunlight; the trees were clustered too close together. The thin silver band of the ring looked dark and was as cold as ice. Ash turned the front side of the ring closer to him, surveying the gemstones imbedded in the band: the center set diamond, and the small emeralds and rubies that cascaded off the top and bottom of the clear middle stone. They were all dull, not sparkling and appearing much darker than they actually were.

Ash could feel his lip quiver. He pulled his left glove off and held the index finger of his left hand next to Misty's ring. His own wedding ring, just a plain silver band, had always looked so much less extravagant than Misty's engagement ring. And now they looked like equals.

Misty couldn't be…_dead._ She just couldn't. She was too young, too beautiful, too perfect to die. Ash loved her too much to have someone as evil and coldhearted as this Loki just tear her away from him. Really now, why would you ever kill Misty? Sure, she could be hot headed and moody, but above all else, Misty was a very sweet young woman. She would do anything for her friends, adored Ash with all of her heart, and her children were her whole world. Misty would drop everything for Aiden and Michelle, and give them all of her attention without a second thought. She was the greatest mother in the world; Ash was sure of it. And that thought brought Ash to an equally devastating realization.

Their unborn daughter. Did that mean…? It did, didn't it? She was gone too. And she hadn't even had a chance to live. The poor, sweet baby girl. She was even more innocent than her mother, and she too had fallen victim to Loki. That horrible, ruthless man.

Hanging his head, Ash closed his eyes and tried to stop the threatening tears. But no matter how tightly he shut his eyes, or held his breath, there was no stopping the oncoming crying fit.

Several feet behind Ash's huddled figure stood Brock, Aiden, and Michelle, who were confusedly watching the Pokémon master.

"What happened to Daddy?" Michelle inquired.

"Did he get hurt?" Aiden looked up at Brock.

"I'm…not sure," Brock scratched his head. He had a somewhat bad feeling about whatever was going on with Ash, but either way, he felt it was wrong to intrude on his best friend. The raven haired young man seemed almost in deep thought from behind.

Aiden and Michelle, unfortunately, were not as sensitive on the subject as their godfather. They wanted to know why their father was simply kneeling on the ground when their mother needed to be saved from the evil clutches of Loki. So, giving each other knowing glances, the twins ran up to their father, standing at either of his sides with steadfast looks on their young faces.

"Come on Daddy," Aiden urged. "Up! Let's go get Mommy!"

No response.

"Daddy?" Aiden tried again.

Ash slumped over a little more.

"Answer me, Daddy!" Aiden was beginning to get frustrated. He marched forward and grabbed onto his father's arm, shaking it with as much strength as the young boy had.

The whole scene was disturbing Michelle to some degree. Why wasn't their Daddy acknowledging them? Was he angry because they'd gotten mad at him for not going back for their Mommy right away? Maybe Loki had called him by a mean name.

Looking over her father's figure some more, Michelle furrowed her brow when she took notice of something very peculiar. Ash's shoulders were shaking, and the quivers seemed to be spreading through his whole body now.

Blinking, Michelle took some quiet steps forward, until she was standing right in front of her father. She saw that his eyes were closed, and his lips pressed tightly together. Poking her head up, Michelle realized that his cheeks were wet and streaked, and that tears were slowly slipping out of his closed eyes.

Michelle gasped sharply. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! She had never thought it possible. Her Daddy was too brave, too tough to be doing such a thing. But here he was, as vulnerable as Michelle would ever see him.

"Daddy?" Michelle reached out and pressed her small hands against his thighs. "Don't cry, Daddy."

Ash's head snapped up. He had been dimly aware of Aiden and Michelle standing by his sides, and Aiden pulling valiantly at his arm. But there was no way he could've known that Michelle had scurried in front of him, and seen the one thing he never wanted her to see.

"N…no, I'm not crying baby," Ash tried to convince the young girl as he rubbed furiously at his eyes with his forearm. Michelle pouted and tilted her head, clearly not buying into her father's poorly constructed lie. Ash sucked in a deep breath before clearing his throat. With complete stealth, Ash stashed Misty's ring away into his front jeans pocket. He couldn't let Aiden or Michelle see it, because then they'd become even more suspicious than they already were.

"You don't have to cry Daddy," Michelle flashed her father a dazzling smile. "We're going to get Mommy back!"

Ash's heart jumped up into his throat. _How the hell am I supposed to explain this to them? I can't!_

"I wasn't crying," was Ash's only response. His voice was blank and hollow, earning a disbelieving scoff from his young daughter.

"Mommy wouldn't want to see you cry," Michelle reasoned simply. She jumped into Ash's lap and wrapped her arms around his torso. "So, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered. "We won't find Mommy by just sitting here."

"Guys…" Ash sighed, lowering his head once again. He wasn't going to come right out and inform the children that their mother was gone. But keeping it a secret for much longer wasn't a good idea either.

"No arguing," Michelle's voice was stern and quite reminiscent of Misty's at that moment. "Up!"

Ash choked slightly as he gathered both Aiden and Michelle into his arms. Standing up, he held each child close to his chest, breath shuttering slightly.

"Aiden, Michelle," Ash finally piped up in a hoarse voice, "I need you two to promise me something."

"What Daddy?" Michelle asked, excited by the prospect of keeping a promise for her father.

"I need you both to remember that I love you two more than anything in the whole world, okay? Know that Daddy will always be there for you, no matter what. Can you promise me that?"

Aiden and Michelle were slightly bewildered by this sudden speech from their father, but they liked it none the less. Grinning, both of them nodded happily, not noticing that more tears were threatening to spill out of his darkened brown eyes.

**XXX**

Misty sat tied up in the little room of the airship, wincing every time the rope rubbed against the open wounds on her wrists.

She was in a lot of pain, but Misty had cried herself dry at this point, so all she could do was sit there and mope. It was horribly depressing, and Misty couldn't help but to have hardly any optimism left in her body.

As Misty sat in sheer dejection, the door to the room creaked open, and Misty's breath hitched. She was afraid that it was Loki, coming back to torture her some more, or worse, to forcefully flirt with her. Fortunately, the visitor who poked his head into the doorway was not Loki, but Castor, whom Misty had actually grown to like.

"Castor," Misty gasped slightly. Her voice was weak, and her throat tight.

"Oh miss," Castor frowned, stepping into the room. "You don't sound so well. Is the child hurting you?"

"No, not now," Misty shook her head. "It's…my wrists. Loki tied me up pretty tight…and it hurts really badly."

"He was rough with you?" Castor asked plainly, clearly not surprised by the idea.

"Yes."

Sighing quietly, Castor moved closer to Misty and kneeled down before the young mother. "Let me have a look. I'm good with these kinds of things."

Misty turned around as best as she could so Castor could see her bound wrists. He grabbed at her forearms and leaned in closer to where the ropes were tied. All of the movement caused Misty to hiss in pain, earning a sharp gasp from Castor.

"I'm sorry miss! Did I hurt you badly?"

"N…no, it's okay," Misty breathed out. "It wasn't you. It's just my wrists. Every time the rope rubs against my skin, it hurts terribly. Like someone is cutting me with a knife."

"_That_ badly?" Castor inquired.

"Yes," Misty sulked.

Castor pried the rope away from Misty's skin as gently as possible, and he made an ominous noise upon inspecting the fresh wounds that graced Misty's delicate wrists. "There are some nasty looking cuts here."

"Are they deep?" Misty glanced over her shoulder. She was surprised by how calm her voice was, seeing that Misty didn't always deal well with pain, and just the thought of blood made the gym leader's skin crawl.

"Not dangerously so, but they certainly aren't shallow," Castor replied. "And I'm afraid if I simply leave them like this any longer, you are almost guaranteed to obtain an infection."

Misty whimpered and looked back ahead. Nothing was going her way at the moment, and quite frankly, it sucked. Misty was just so angry and miserable that it was turning her numb. She simply had no more feelings to express.

"Don't be so downtrodden, miss," Castor's tone was surprisingly bright as he rose to his feet. "I have some medicine for those cuts that will begin to heal them, as well as protect you from any infections that may come of them. I'll just fetch them and be right back."

"But Castor!" Misty cried frantically, stopping the navy haired young henchman in his tracks. "What if Loki comes back before you do? I'm not so sure he would approve of you trying to fix me up. He wants me as weak as possible so he can take advantage of me."

"Loki won't arrive before I do," Castor assured gently. "He informed me, right before he left the ship, that once he returned he'd be heading into the library to do some reading, and maybe some thinking as well. For what, I'm not sure, but it will keep him away from you in the meanwhile."

"Will you still hurry?" Misty nearly pleaded. She believed Castor, but taking a chance was something Misty just couldn't risk.

"Of course miss," Castor bowed slightly to the red head. "I will make haste."

He hurried out of the room, leaving behind a bemused Misty. She found the way Castor spoke to be fascinating; it was so proper and old fashioned. In a way, it reminded her of Justin.

_Justin! _Misty mentally screamed in her mind. That poor boy was probably wondering why the gym was locked all the time, and worst of all, where she actually _was._ Misty at least hoped that Ash had taken time out to leave a note on the gym door or something. But the chances weren't very high.

As Misty pondered this thought, the baby began to kick, earning an airy giggle from her mother. "Can you tell I'm thinking about your daddy, baby girl?" This prompt was answered with another jab. "You love him lots, don't you?" Another kick.

Misty frowned and leaned her head against the bed. She hoped Ash wasn't beating himself up over having to leave her behind. It seemed like something he would do, but Misty wasn't mad in the slightest. She was just glad that Aiden and Michelle were safe with him. Their lives were much more important than her own, as far as Misty was concerned. She was only slightly more worried about herself than usual because of the little unborn baby who was currently residing inside of her. The baby's life was in Misty's hands right now, and as long as Misty was in danger, so was the baby.

Once again, the door opened, and Castor slipped in, holding various medical supplies in his hands. Throwing Misty a comforting smile, Castor once again got down in front of Misty and began to examine her wrists.

"I've got to get the rope off somehow," Castor murmured. "There's no way I can treat the cuts with the rope tied so tightly around the site."

"Can't you just cut them off?" Misty tried.

"I'm afraid not," Castor sighed sadly. "Master Loki will not be pleased if I do such a thing. His distrust for you is great, although I don't agree with it. Not in the slightest."

"Thank you Castor," Misty furrowed her brow slightly. "But that trust you have for me isn't going to help loosen the rope."

"That is true," Castor chuckled dryly. "I wonder if I can just wiggle them slightly, and get the knot to release."

"Give it a shot," Misty shrugged. She winced and whimpered as Castor tugged at the rope, the sharp and raw twine digging into her open wounds. Castor apologized every single time Misty let out a moan, and it didn't take long for him to give up the attempt all together.

"This won't work," Castor shook his head. "The knot is tied too tightly, and I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

"I would tell you its fine, but it really was hurting," Misty smiled poignantly at the young man who was trying his best to help her.

"I wonder…" Castor mused softly.

"Wonder what?" Misty pressed after he trailed off.

"I have a knife in my pocket," Castor glanced towards the small square on the right breast of his bright blue vest. "I wonder if I just use it to cut the knot a little, and then I can tie the rope back on before Loki comes in."

"Back on?" Misty groaned.

"I know, I'm sorry," Castor truly sounded miserable over the fact. "But don't worry. I won't tie it nearly as tight as my master did."

Misty sighed, but eventually gave a slow nod for Castor to proceed. Reaching into his pocket, Castor withdrew the blade and wedged it underneath the well done knot of the rope. He bit his bottom lip in concentration as he tugged at the knot with the sharp knife. Misty rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling in slight impatience, hoping that this would be over and done with soon. Fortunately, it didn't hurt nearly as much as Castor's previous attempts to yank the rope loose.

"Got it!" Castor cheered suddenly. Misty could feel him slipping the rough twine off her wrists, and she once again yelped as it hit her cuts. "So sorry," Castor gently grasped her shoulder.

"It's no problem," Misty cleared her throat. "Really."

Humming quietly in response, Castor reached for a spray and shook the bottle. "This may sting a little," Castor warned as he pulled the cap off, "but it will prevent any infection from spreading in those cuts."

"I've given birth to two children," Misty smirked. "If you think a little sting from some disinfectant spray is going to bother me, then you're mistaken."

Castor laughed heartily as he sprayed the disinfectant. Misty cringed when it hit, but otherwise didn't make a sound. "You really are quite something, miss. I'd imagine you make a very good friend."

"I'd like to think so," Misty giggled.

"Now, I'll just put a medicated bandage over the cuts," Castor continued as he unrolled the material. "It'll have to be changed every few hours, but I'll take care of that."

Silence set in as Castor dressed Misty's wounds with the soothing bandage. Once her wrists were wrapped, Misty gazed over at Castor and piped up, "thank you for helping me, Castor. I'm glad to know that I have someone here who I can trust."

"You'll always have a friend in me, miss," Castor held a hand over his heart. The sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway, causing Castor to panic slightly. "Oh, Master Loki!"

"Guess you have to put the ropes back on," Misty moped.

"I wish I didn't have to, I truly do," Castor fretted as he gathered the twine in his hands. "But, just as I said, I will tie them much more loosely."

He did just as he promised, re-fastening the rope as freely as he could without it being painfully obvious. Just as Castor finished retying the rope, Loki opened the door, and peered in with a menacing smile.

**XXX**

Michelle sighed tiredly as she rested her head on her father's shoulder.

They had been wandering aimlessly through this forest for what seemed like hours, and Michelle was quite bored by the monotony of it. She wanted to know why they were busy wasting their time with something as dumb as this when her mother needed saving.

She would've asked her father; Michelle was highly inquisitive by nature. But she felt bad doing it now. Her father looked rather disheveled, and awfully sad. Michelle wondered why that was. He knew they were going to rescue Mommy, didn't he?

Glancing up at his face, Michelle furrowed her brow when she caught sight of a stray tear falling from her father's eye. For a guy who lied and said he was crying, he was pretty bad at covering it up.

Without a word, Michelle reached up and brushed the drop away. Ash looked down at his little girl, who in turn smiled sweetly at him. "No more crying Daddy."

"I'm not crying," Ash repeated for what Michelle assumed to be the hundredth time that day.

"Liar," Michelle accused. Ash sighed but said nothing in response.

Aiden, meanwhile, was not concerning himself with whether or not his father was in tears. The boy himself cried sometimes, so who cared if his father did? Either way, Aiden was too busy thinking up ways to rescue his mother. He wanted to help, more than anything in the world, and there had been no talk of saving her. Just silence and Michelle trying to comfort their Daddy, who clearly wanted no part of it.

And Brock? Well, he was just the awkward one, left to walk behind the father and children in complete and utter puzzlement. It was obvious that Ash was crying, or at least had been, but Brock couldn't possibly figure out why. It had to have been something Loki had said, although Brock wasn't sure of what it could be.

Ash was having the worst time out of any of them. He wanted to be strong for his children, seeing as he was all they had left in the world, but another part of him just wanted to shut himself away from the world for the rest of his life.

What did being a Pokémon master matter when he didn't have Misty by his side? Ash didn't care anymore. His whole heart hurt, his head was clouded, and his feet felt heavy as he dragged them through the long and winding woods.

_Misty, why'd you have to leave me alone? I love you so much…and now my life might as well be over._

**XXX**

Misty hardly blinked as Loki entered the room. Her wide emerald eyes were locked on the villainous man, and as soon as she saw that devious smirk of his grow, she growled and narrowed those same green eyes in contempt.

"Oh hush, darling," Loki waved a hand at the perturbed gym leader. "No need to get feisty with me now." He next turned his attention onto his assistant, who was still kneeling besides Misty. "Castor, what in the world are you doing?"

"I was simply checking in on her, sir," Castor answered dutifully as he stood to his full height. Observing the two, Misty realized that Castor and Loki were just about the same height. It certainly made the silver haired man look somewhat less intimidating.

"A good idea, I suppose," Loki gave a single nod. "She _is _rather troublesome." Misty bit back a swear and continued to glare at her captor. "Castor, go put the tea on, if you may," Loki once again addressed his inferior.

"Yes sir," Castor bowed to the silver haired man before walking briskly out of the room.

This left just Loki and Misty, staring down one another to see who would possibly break first. Loki did, as his lips formed a smile that Misty knew all too well. The evil man was up to something.

"What did you do?" Misty asked darkly.

"Now now dear, why do you just go and assume that I've done something terrible?"

"That dumb little smirk of yours tells me enough," Misty rolled her eyes. Returning to her stony resolve, she barked, "Now tell me what you did!"

"Not a thing, love."

"Liar! You took my engagement ring from me! Clearly, you needed it for something. So tell me what it was!" Feeling her face reddening, Misty noticed that Loki was beginning to look aggravated by her outburst. Pulling back her shoulders, Misty finished quietly, though still seething, "it's the least you could do for me."

"Well…" Loki's grin returned, "Since you asked _so_ nicely, I suppose I could. You see, I needed your ring as proof."

"Of what?"

"Your death."

"WHAT?" Misty screamed. "But…I'm NOT! I'm not _dead! _That's an awful, evil lie! Who the hell did you tell I was dead?"

"Why, that worthless husband of yours," Loki replied as though it were obvious. Misty looked even more shocked and hurt by this, which caused Loki to laugh heartily.

"H…how COULD you?" Misty was sure she'd never yelled so loud in her life. Not even at Ash when she was infuriated with him, or her children when they did something completely dangerous. What she was feeling right now was real, raw anger, and it made Misty feel like her head was going to explode.

"It was quite simple, really."

"The thought of that will destroy him!" Misty wailed. "He won't be able to live with himself if he thinks I'm dead! And what about my poor children? To think their mother is dead…why would you ever do that?"

"You simply don't understand how little remorse I feel for doing such a thing," Loki sighed as he flipped a strand of silver hair. "Destroying your husband is one of my many goals, and I could care less about those two children of yours. You let them go back out into the world, which was a mistake on your part, darling. The world is a dangerous, heartbreaking place. They'll learn that through this."

"You're a monster!" Misty narrowed her eyes and clenched her fingers. "You're hurting my whole family, and I won't stand for it! Don't you dare think you're going to get away with this, because it's the _last_ thing you're going to do!"

"Whatever soothes you to hear, my love," Loki sighed gently. "The noise you make, however, does not scare me. You think you're tough, but that's all. I see right past your little façade, and I will work it to my advantage." Pulling a silver watch out of his breast pocket, Loki clicked his tongue and murmured, "Excellent. The tea should be done by now." Looking back down at Misty, he huffed softly, "sit here and learn to keep your mouth shut, darling. I don't know how much more I can deal with you."

And with that, Loki turned on a heel and marched away.

Behind him he left a quivering Misty, whose head was lowered as tears filled her eyes. It couldn't be so, her dear Ash thinking she was gone.

Her simple shaking soon turned into full convulsions, her tears flowing out like a river as she sobbed dramatically. Just the thought killed her; Ash down below believing that he was now left without a wife. Her shoulders shrugged as she wailed, and her face burned a vicious shade of red.

"Ash, please…" Misty begged to no one in particular through her weeping, "Don't believe him. Don't believe Loki. Please Ash…I'm alive. Please…"

As Misty continued to cry heavily, a faint blue glow emerged from her stomach. Misty was too busy bawling to notice it, or even feel it. The more she cried, the stronger the light grew, until her baby bump was completely sapphire blue.

**XXX**

"Daddy, stop!"

Ash once again glanced down at his young daughter. She looked _extremely_ angry, as though she were about to take his head off with her bare hands.

"Michelle, please," Ash sighed tiredly. His voice was weak from all the crying he'd done, and by now he was all out of tears. Now all he could was brood silently.

"No!" Michelle snapped. "You're not talking about Mommy! We have to come up with a way to save her!"

"Michelle…" Ash whimpered. He felt like sobbing again, but his eyes were completely dry.

"Ash," Brock's voice finally broke in, "Michelle is right. You haven't said a single word about Misty since Loki confronted you. What did he say?"

"It was…" Ash was about to claim that it was nothing, but as soon as he looked into the bright, wide eyes of his two young children, he realized he just couldn't do it. Keeping this charade up was wrong. As much as it hurt him, Ash knew that telling them the truth about their mother was the only reasonable thing to do. "Yes, he said something."

"What did he say, Daddy?" Aiden asked, tilting his head to the side. Ash breathed out heavily and tried to formulate a way to properly explain this to his children without being too blunt. Kneeling to the ground, Ash stood his children in front of him and closed his eyes as he thought.

"Daddy?" Michelle prodded.

"Aiden, Michelle," Ash began after a few moments of tense silence. "Sometimes, things happen…to people. Things that we can't always explain or even understand."

"Ash…what are you getting at?" Brock mumbled. Aiden and Michelle, meanwhile, continued to look bewildered.

"And, well, these kinds of things can happen to people you really love. And then it hurts even more and makes even less sense. So, you see, your Mommy…"

Ash trailed off, and Aiden and Michelle leaned in closer to him. Brock raised an eyebrow, wondering why Ash had stopped all of a sudden. He assumed the matter, whatever it was, was too much for Ash to be speaking about, but in truth, it was an entirely different pain.

A blinding headache had suddenly overtaken Ash. He was breathing heavily as he'd lowered his head and shut his eyes tightly, willing the horrible pain to go away. With every passing second, however, the pain only increased.

Then, almost as quickly as it began, the pain in his head spread through the rest of his body, before exploding into a powerful surge of energy. Ash yelled from the intense sting, alarming his two young children to near hysterics.

"Daddy?" Michelle gasped, reaching out for him. She wanted to give him a hug, but for obvious reasons, was afraid to touch him for fear of creating even more discomfort for the man.

His breath slowing down, Ash could feel the energy collecting in his eyes as the hurt disappeared. The feeling was a familiar one, that was for sure. Sighing gently, Ash sat back on his shins, slowly opening his eyes. As much as he didn't want to do it, he looked up at Aiden and Michelle, who instantly screamed at the sight of their father's face.

"Daddy, your eyes are blue!" Aiden shrieked.

"They're all glowy!" Michelle cried.

Ash blinked. This was the same sensation he'd had just that morning. But it hadn't been as painful the first time around. This one, in a sense, was almost like a wakeup call; a desperate cry for help. Instantly, Ash's heart began to race and pound in his head, and new life surged through his system.

"Misty, the baby," Ash whispered to himself. "They're alive."

* * *

><p><strong>Seriously, this baby is the coolest kid ever, and she isn't even born yet XD She's gonna single handedly save her <em>and <em>her mother! Well, maybe...**

**A little shout out to EchidnaPower, who totally guessed 100% where I was going with this chapter! Nice work :P**

**Next chapter is going to be the ultimate showdown between Loki and Ash. Making up a lie about the love of your life being killed? Yeah, Ash isn't going to let that one go. All I can tell you is, it's gonna be AWESOME! What do you all think is going to happen? :P**

**Again, thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! They're all awesome and I appreciate every single one! Especially all the Loki hate :P Keep them coming, they really inspire me to get these chapters out as quick as possible!**


	18. Aura versus Aura

**Okay, I am sooo happy to be posting this chapter! Because guess what? I almost lost this WHOLE story! Few days ago, my laptop got infected with about...30 different viruses. Fun stuff. It's still being looked at it to assess the damage and to see if it can even be fixed. Fortunately, I was able to take off all of my documents before I sent the computer in, and saved ALL of my work! It was a really close call, but we're okay. Now I'm using various family member's computers to work on this story. Least it's safe!**

**Now, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for. The showdown between Ash and Loki! Who will win? How will it all go down? Read on to find out!**

* * *

><p>"Alive?" Brock blinked. "What do you mean by that?"<p>

Ash reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out Misty's engagement ring. Pikachu scampered up onto Ash's shoulder and sniffed at the piece of jewelry, squeaking out, "pikachupi."

"That's Mommy's ring," Michelle commented.

"But why do you have it, Daddy?" Aiden asked.

"Because Loki gave it to me and told me that he'd hurt her," Ash growled slightly. "And I believed it."

"How do you know he was lying?" Aiden frowned.

"You see how my eyes are glowing?" Ash pointed at his sapphire lit orbs. The aura was meant to be kept a secret from Aiden and Michelle, but at this point, Ash's hands were tied on the issue. "Well, it's from something called aura."

"What's that?" Aiden sounded intrigued.

"It's almost like a superpower," Ash explained.

"Cool!" Aiden's face lit up at the prospect.

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "See, I have it. A really strong sense of it. And so does the baby. She's able to reach out to me using it, and that's what she's doing now. Somehow, she must've known that I bought Loki's lie, and she's trying to show me that she and Mommy are okay."

"Do we have super powers too?" Aiden was practically bouncing up and down, seeming to forget about the grave predicament he and his family were currently in.

"Yes," Ash sighed, "but it's not as strong as mine and the baby's."

"Oh," Aiden stopped jumping and contemplated the idea.

"So do you know how to find them again?" Brock broke in.

"Yes," Ash nodded, "I can feel it. But this time I can't just take Misty back. He's going to have to pay for what he's done to her, and for the lie that he's told me."

"How?" Brock furrowed his brow.

"It's a secret, for now," Ash responded as he got back to his feet. He looked into the sky with his glowing eyes and continued, "I have to plan it out; in my head. For now we'll go to where they are. I'll follow the baby's aura."

Brock didn't say anything. He simply bent over and gathered Aiden and Michelle into his arms, knowing that Ash was going to sprint. Looking at his best friend, Brock gave a single nod and encouraged, "lead the way."

**XXX**

Misty felt like she had been sobbing for hours on end. She was drained, both emotionally and physically, and all she wanted to do at this point was slump to the floor and fall asleep.

Just as she was going to attempt this, the door to Misty's tiny prison opened up, causing the red head to snap back up. If it was Loki, he would probably scold her for resting on the floor, or perhaps just take pleasure from her evident pain.

"Oh, miss, why ever are you crying?"

That soft, almost melodic voice brought great relief to Misty. It was so much different than Loki's taunting, heart wrenching voice.

"Castor," Misty sniffled, looking down to the floor, "help."

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long, the master kept me," Castor frowned as he rushed over to Misty. "Are you wounds hurting that badly? I know I have to change the bandages; that's actually why I'm here."

"It isn't the cuts," Misty shook her head sadly. "Loki told Ash I was dead. And he _believed_ it!"

"Oh my word," Castor knelt down beside the miserable gym leader. "This is awful, miss. Although, I must say that I'm not surprised Loki did such a thing. He has no heart left at this point."

"Will you change my bandages, please?" Misty suddenly changed the subject. "My wrists are starting to hurt again."

"Of course," Castor murmured, untying his modified knot and removing the ropes. As he unraveled the expired bandages, Castor continued, "I'm sure the truth will become clear to your husband. He won't just give up on you."

"I don't see how he could possibly see through this," Misty grumbled, clearly not pleased that the topic had been brought back up. "He knows how much I treasure that ring."

"Yes, but you treasure your child's life more. That will be the very thing that saves you."

"How do you know that, Castor?"

"Love conquers all, miss," Castor smiled softly at Misty when she looked at him over her shoulder. "Not the love of material things, mind you, but of family and friends; the people whom you hold dearest."

"I hope you're right," Misty breathed, gazing ahead once more. New bandages were now wrapped around Misty's wrists, and she could feel Castor retying the rope.

"Your wounds are looking much better," Castor noted. "They might still leave a small scar, but I think I've quelled any potential infections. All we have to do is keep changing these medicated bandages, and you'll be good as new."

"How are you so good with this?" Misty giggled quietly. "All the medical stuff, I mean."

"When I was a boy, I dreamed of being a doctor," Castor smiled fondly at the thought. "Either for Pokémon or people, it didn't matter to me. I just wanted to help."

"You do a good job of it," Misty complimented the navy haired assistant. Castor hummed softly and got to his feet, looking down at Misty.

"Your words are very kind," Castor's smile broadened. "I will take them to heart."

As Castor turned and left, Misty furrowed her brow and tumbled Castor's words around in her head, trying to figure out what he'd meant by that. It sounded as if he had a plan, or was contemplating something.

_What is Castor up to?_

**XXX**

"There's the ship again," Ash growled, staring at the silver spacecraft. His eyes had stopped glowing at this point, but the aura effect had lasted long enough where Ash was able to locate the ship with ease.

"We want to help, Daddy," Aiden piped up.

"No champ," Ash shook his head. "It's way too dangerous."

"But Mommy!" Michelle cried.

"She would be very upset if you two came with me," Ash looked down and switched his gaze between the young children. "And I don't want to get her even more worked up. I promise I'll bring her back this time. There's no way I'm leaving without her." The twins didn't look convinced, only more upset. Sighing, Ash went on, "Mommy knows that you two love her with all of your heart, and she feels the same way about you. There's no need for the both of you to put yourselves in danger, okay?"

"But we want to help," Aiden repeated, pouting this time.

"You can help me by staying here with Brock," Ash glanced at his best friend. "Just wait with him for me and Mommy, and keep yourselves out of trouble. Can you two do that for me?"

Aiden and Michelle still looked displeased with the situation, but they knew that arguing with their father wasn't going to save their mother. So, after exchanging looks with one another, both children nodded, earning a gentle smile from Ash.

"I'll be back soon," Ash assured them. Turning around, he stared into Brock's eyes and appealed, "take care of them, okay?"

"Like they were my own," Brock grinned at the Pokémon master.

Reaching to his belt, Ash recalled Charizard and climbed onto his back, once again using the orange dragon to fly him up to the airship. The raven haired Pokémon master repeated his previous actions of climbing into the vent, recalling Charizard, and then crawling through the tight metal passageways with Pikachu scurrying in front of him, sniffing out for Misty.

"You don't have to do that this time, Pikachu," Ash called out to his partner, who turned around in bewilderment. "I remember where she is. Just get ready, buddy. I'm gonna need you."

"Pika," Pikachu nodded, lifting his nose off the bottom of the vent.

Ash eventually reached the vent that led into Misty's room. He peeked through the metal bars and gasped quietly when he saw that Misty was tied up by her wrists and ankles.

"I'm gonna kill this jerk," Ash hissed under his breath.

"Pi," Pikachu agreed darkly.

Just as Ash reached out to remove the vent cover, he could hear the door below being unlocked, and Misty's soft whine of displeasure. It was Loki who stepped into the room, a key ring in hand and a devious smile on his evil face. Ash lightly bit his lip and waited, watching Loki's every move.

"You've certainly remained quiet since my last visit," Loki sounded impressed. "I'm shocked."

"Shut up," Misty bit.

"Ah, silently seething I see," Loki chuckled. "Silly girl. What did I say about the bad behavior?"

Misty said nothing in response. She just looked away, staring at the floor next to her as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Since it seems you're out of nasty words for me," Loki purred slightly, "perhaps now is a good time to talk about our future together."

"We have _no_ future together," Misty growled.

"You know we do, whether you like it or not. I need someone to be the mother to my children, and the queen to my powerful empire that I will build around said children. I have chosen you for this, and you should feel honored."

_The mother of his children? _Ash screamed in his head. He could feel his face reddening. That was the final straw. Ash was going to kill Loki if it was the last thing he did. Turning around, Ash kicked out the vent cover, startling both Misty and Loki as it came crashing down.

"What in the world is going on?" Loki snarled.

"Miss me?"

Ash kept his eyes narrowed as he jumped out of the vent, landing skillfully on his feet as he kept the scowl on his handsome young face. Pikachu leapt out shortly after, settling himself on Ash's shoulder as sparks jolted from his red cheeks.

"Ash!" Misty cried happily. Ash turned his head to smile at her before looking back to Loki with an expression of pure disdain.

"Y…you…" Loki appeared taken off guard for once. Breathing heavily, he stormed, "I told you that your wife was dead! Why didn't you just believe it?"

"Because she's the love of my life," Ash answered strongly. "I couldn't live without her, and I'd never give up."

"But you did," Loki gasped, "You did! I was tracking your aura, and I could sense you walking away and losing all hope!"

"I gave up on myself for a short time, that I admit," Ash's eyes narrowed even more. "But something reached out to me, and gave me new hope. And do you know what that was, _Loki?_"

Misty shivered at the way Ash spoke the villain's name. It was full of hate and disgust, all of which Misty couldn't possibly argue with. But hearing her husband _this_ angry was something incredibly rare. And when Loki never responded to Ash's retort, he simply smirked in a devious little way that rivaled Loki's own, and continued, "My daughter. The sweet little unborn baby girl that you've been trying so hard to hurt. The bond between her and I is more powerful than you could ever imagine, and she's the one who led me back here. How does that feel, Loki, to know that an unborn baby is smarter than you are?"

"ENOUGH!" Loki roared, his silver eyes set ablaze. Misty shivered and turned her attention back to Ash, hoping he would do something. Ash still seemed un-phased, however, and maintained his angry disposition. "I'm sick of you, dear master. Sick of your voice, and your face. Why don't you do us all a favor and just disappear?"

"Can't do that, I'm afraid," Ash smirked. "I'm here to take my wife back. But first…" he glanced over at Pikachu, who was growling deeply while perched on the Pokémon master's shoulder, "Pikachu, thunder bolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped off of Ash and sent a shock of yellow electricity rolling towards Loki. The formerly flustered villain only smiled, however, and held up his hand. The attack shorted out right before him, causing Ash, Misty, and Pikachu to all gasp.

"Wh…what happened?" Misty looked towards Ash.

"I don't understand…" Ash murmured to himself. Staring at Loki's outstretched palm, Ash's eyes grew wide when he noticed a bright blue ball of energy forming in front of the silver haired man's hand.

"If it's a fight you want, Pokémon master, then I refuse to do it with Pokémon," Loki lowered his arm and the aura sphere disappeared. "I already know how well you can work with Pokémon."

"Then how do you want to fight?" Ash's hand balled into a tight fist.

"With aura, of course," Loki answered with a chuckle after a short, but tense, silence. "I want to see if you are truly worthy of the power with which you've been blessed."

"Ash, don't do it," Misty whimpered. Ash looked down at her worried face as she continued, "he's too strong. He's worked with his aura for years. Don't do it."

Ash simply blinked and turned back to Loki, announcing proudly, "I can beat him, Mist. No doubt."

Loki chuckled huskily and Misty grimaced, yelling at Ash, "Don't be insane! You can't do this, Ash!"

"Just watch me," Ash challenged.

Without so much as a warning, Loki held his right hand out again and fired off a sphere of aura. Ash dodged it at the last second, causing the ball of power to collide with the metal wall of Misty's barren prison. Jumping back up, Ash's face was slightly flushed, and his eyes wide.

"This is what you wanted, is it not?" Loki questioned as he raised his left arm this time. "Don't look so surprised!"

Another shot of aura was sent flying towards Ash. This time, Ash was able to process the attack more quickly and get out of the way with a sufficient amount of time.

"Ash…" Misty warned. He got to his feet, not once glancing at Misty, and held out his own right hand.

"You haven't even seen what I can do yet," Ash stated. He wasn't sure if this was directed to Loki, or Misty, or both. All he knew was that they'd both soon see what he was capable of. Closing his eyes, Ash focused all of his energy into his palm. It took more effort for him to gather his aura than it did for Loki, since Ash hadn't spent years refining the skill in the way Loki had. That certainly didn't mean that Ash wasn't proficient with it, though.

Having finally gathered enough energy, Ash formed an aura sphere of his own and snapped his eyes open. Misty's mouth was agape in shock. Finding out about the aura was a surprise in the first place, and watching Ash use it with Riolu and the baby was even more of an eye opener. But gathering all of the energy into something completely different than what he usually used it for was almost terrifying. From Loki's own attempts, Misty knew what kind of damage these spheres could cause.

Grunting, Ash threw the sphere forward, but it didn't move as quickly as his adversary's. Loki quickly slid off to the side, and Ash's rather lousy aura sphere floated off listlessly.

"Pathetic," Loki sighed, folding his hands behind his back. The simple word irked Ash greatly; perhaps because it reminded him so much of the taunts he had received from Paul as a teenager. "I'm rather tired of playing this little back and forth with you, you know. Let's get serious now, shall we?"

Loki thrust forward both of his hands and quickly shot forth a burst of aura. It hit Ash before he could bat an eyelash, and sent him toppling down towards the ground. His body crashed hard against the metal floor, and for a few seconds, Ash couldn't feel or hear anything.

"Ash!" Misty cried, her heart pounding in her head.

Ash groaned and slowly opened his eyes, blinking them back into focus. Regaining feeling in his extremities, Ash cautiously pulled himself up and shook his head.

"What's the matter, _Pokémon master?_" Loki spat the younger man's title. "Can't handle a little aura?"

"O…of course I can," Ash squared out his shoulders and held out his hands. As he closed his eyes once again to focus all of his energy, Ash was blindsided by yet another blast. This time, it was strong enough to throw him against a wall, and take all of the wind out of his lungs.

The crunching sound of his body hitting the solid metal wall caused Misty to cringe. An almost nauseous sensation rose up into her throat as she watched Ash slump down to the floor, his head hanging over as he groaned.

"Ashy, please…stop," Misty whispered, tears beginning to flood her eyes. Watching her husband getting thrown around like a rag doll was tearing her apart from the inside. She wanted him to destroy Loki like nothing else in the world, but upon seeing their powers put up against one another, Misty knew that Ash was no match for her captor. She also knew that Ash wasn't going to give up; he never did. The only way Ash would ever give up would be when he was dead.

Breathing out deeply and heavily, Ash struggled to pull himself up, but was eventually able to do so. Loki stared at the panting master in disbelief, but quickly regained his composure and huffed quietly. "Why, I'm surprised you haven't given up yet."

"N…never," Ash wheezed, narrowing his eyes as he slowly raised his head. He tried to raise his hands once again, but was finding the task to be much more difficult than it had previously been. His joints were sore, and the pain travelling through his body was excruciating.

"Perhaps you should consider it," Loki sneered as he formed another aura sphere, intending to hit Ash with it. "That is, unless you'd just like me to put you out of your misery."

"I won't ever let you take me out," Ash growled.

"Ash, you have to stop!" Misty screamed, her tears falling freely down her face. "He's going to kill you! If you get hit like that one more time, you may never get back up!"

Ash said nothing in response. He only kept trying to get his own aura to appear, but with no such luck. Loki grinned deviously, knowing this was his chance to strike and wipe the Pokémon master off the face of the Earth. He raised his arm, preparing to send off the sphere that would effectively end Ash's life.

"Master, what in the world is going on?"

Loki gasped and looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with a clearly shocked Castor. The navy haired assistant moved his glance over to the aura sphere in Loki's hand, then to a terrified Misty, and finally onto a panting and clearly pained Ash, who was still willing his aura to fire up.

"Master…" Castor stared back at Loki, his wide eyes not blinking once.

Scoffing, Loki turned away from Castor and replied gruffly, "Castor, do not interrupt me while I'm in the middle of such important business. You will simply destroy my concentration, not to mention the moment."

Just as the ball of energy left Loki's palm, the silver haired man was hit by a bright light; one strong enough that it caused him to cry out and fall to the floor. Loki's sudden movement interrupted the path of his own attack, and caused the threatening aura sphere to float off into the corner of the room.

Ash and Misty, who were both surprised by this sudden development, looked up towards the only other person in the room who could've attacked Loki.

Indeed, Castor was standing in the doorway, an unusually angry expression set on his face with his palm stretched outward and a light slowly fading from his fingers.

"Castor…" Misty breathed.

Loki's inferior hurried over to Ash, who was still fatigued from all of the attacks he had received from the older man. Castor examined Ash for a moment, before coming to a realization.

"You're almost completely out of energy," Castor concluded. "Your aura has been severely weakened."

"And you're the one who tied me up against the side of my house," Ash snarled before shoving Castor away. "Why should I trust you?"

"Castor is on our side, Ash!" Misty cried quickly, sensing that her husband was ready to kill the younger male as well. "He's been taking care of me the whole time I've been here. Don't hurt him!"

"Y…you…" Ash heaved, once again feeling exhausted.

"Stop dear master," Castor gripped the raven haired man's shoulder. "You must conserve your energy."

"Castor, what can he do?" Misty frowned.

"I…I will give him some of my own aura," Castor decided, now grabbing onto both of Ash's shoulders and focusing all of his attention onto Ash's tired brown eyes. "An aura transfer is the only way he can contend with Loki."

"But…you'll die…" Misty gasped.

"Only if I give him all of it," Castor shook his head. "And I won't. Not yet. If he needs it all, however, I will give it to him. His life is far more important than my own."

"Castor!" Misty's eyes grew wide.

Without another word, Castor's eyes began glowing a bright sapphire blue. He continued staring into Ash's own orbs, which soon took on the same shade of blue. Ash grunted in slight pain, while Castor grimaced for the same reason. He soon began to struggle under the transfer, which caused Castor to hold onto Ash more tightly. "Just stay patient, Pokémon master. Don't move."

Misty watched the two, immersed in a state of both fascination and fear. The fascination was for the whole idea of aura transfer, but the fear was covering multiple factors. Ash's well being, Castor's well being, and how long it would take for Loki to realize what was going on. While Castor's attack seemed to be very effective, Misty wasn't entirely sure it was enough to take the stronger man out. Looking down at the villain, Misty shrieked when she saw him beginning to open his eyes, setting the bleary silver orbs on Castor and Ash.

"Castor, hurry!" Misty warned.

Castor was still too busy working on Ash, however, to hear Misty's alert. Loki was slowly pushing himself up by his hands, and Misty was trembling violently. The baby in her stomach, who had somehow been sleeping throughout the whole ordeal so far, was now waking up, shifting around and curiously poking at her mother's insides. _Really bad timing there kiddo, _Misty thought miserably.

"Finished," Castor breathed out heavily as he released Ash, who stumbled backwards slightly. He blinked and took in a deep breath, smiling gently afterwards.

"I feel…so much better," Ash sighed. He glanced at Castor, wishing to thank the worn young man, but Ash's bid was quickly interrupted by a low and angry voice.

"You…you betrayed me…"

Castor knew this was directed towards him. Turning around slowly, he glared down at Loki, his hands balling into a pair of tight fists.

"And you me," Castor bit back coolly. "So I suppose we're even now."

"You'll pay for what you've done, Castor," Loki finally rose to his feet. "I swear that you won't get out of here alive."

"I'd rather leave dead then under your control," Castor snarled.

"Fine, I can grant your request," a sinister smile appeared on Loki's face. "I will kill both you and the Pokémon master. Both of you are only getting in the way of my future empire. Once you're both destroyed, my beautiful mistress and I will be able to live a happy and all powerful life together." This last remark was spoken as Loki glanced at Misty, who looked completely disgusted by the thought.

"Don't you _EVER_ refer to my wife as your mistress again!" Ash stormed. He fired off a blast of aura without even having to focus this time. Loki, who clearly wasn't expecting such rapid fire, was instantly taken down by the attack. Once he was on the ground, Ash gasped and stared at his hands, shocked by what he had just done. "But how…"

"My aura is stronger than yours," Castor explained to the baffled man. "Therefore, the transfer you received from me has boosted the power of your own aura in the process."

Ash, who was still looking down at his palms, breathed out shakily and murmured, "I can win now. I know that I can."

"Fools," Loki cursed under his breath. He prepared his own attack and fired it at both Castor and Ash. Ash tried to jump out of the way, but Castor decided to take a different approach. He instead used his own aura to fend off Loki's attack, which seemed to work as both spheres collided and exploded in mid air.

"It's two against one," Castor called upon seeing Loki's stunned expression. "You won't win!"

"Try me!" Loki snarled, shooting off three spheres at once. Ash and Castor both managed to take down one apiece, but the final one made contact with Castor's body, sending the navy haired assistant down to the ground.

"Oh no," Misty whimpered before crying out, "Castor! Get up!"

"I should've known he was with you this whole time," Loki held his hand out towards Misty. "Yet another foolish mistake of yours."

Misty shrieked and tried to recoil when she noticed that Loki was forming another aura sphere within his palm. She had no aura whatsoever, save for what the baby inside of her possessed. Misty knew that if she got hit with that aura sphere, she and the baby would be done for. If Loki was too much to handle for her _husband_, Misty knew that she didn't stand a chance against him.

"Hey!" Ash cried, his heart pounding. "Leave my wife out of this!"

Smirking, Loki released the sphere, and it went barreling straight towards Misty. She cried out in fear and closed her eyes, tensing all the muscles in her body in order to brace for the hit. The baby continued to kick frantically, as if sensing her mother's fear. With her eyes shut, Misty never saw Ash diving in front of her, the ball of energy hitting him instead of her. She only realized it when she heard Ash let out a small noise of pain and creaked open one eye, finding the raven haired man curled up in front of her.

"Ash?" Misty breathed out quietly. She didn't get a response. "Ash, answer me! Please!" He just laid still, not even twitching an eyebrow. Misty let out a shuttered breath and began sobbing, not even trying to stop the free flow of tears.

"Finally," Loki lowered his hand. "And now that that's settled…" He began to move towards Misty, whose breath hitched in her throat. She began to tremble violently, not at all liking the look in his evil eyes. She could just tell he was about to do something horrible to her, perhaps even worse than hitting her with his aura. When he was barely two feet away from the frightened mother, however, Loki was taken down by another aura sphere, this one causing him some serious damage.

Misty grew wide eyed and turned her attention over to where Castor had previously been laying on the floor. He was now on his knees, with his right hand outstretched. The navy haired young man was breathing heavily as his arm fell to his side, his eyes narrowing in contempt as he stared at the man who he had once considered his master.

"Castor, you got him," Misty tried to smile at her ally, but with Ash laying seemingly lifeless in front of her, there was no way Misty could manage it.

"Not quite, I haven't," Castor shook his head solemnly. He got to his feet and approached Loki, still looking infuriated. Growling, Castor used his foot to flip the weakened Loki over onto his back. Bending down, Castor reached into the listless man's vest pocket and retrieved all six of Misty's poke balls, bringing them back to the gym leader and clipping each one onto her belt.

"My Pokémon," Misty sniffed, a _very_ weak smile forming on her delicate lips as she looked down at the red and white spheres. Castor seemed pleased that he was able to make Misty at least somewhat happy, but he still sensed that something was wrong. Looking over his shoulder, Castor's greatest fears were confirmed as he saw Loki struggling to get back up.

"Stay down, or you'll be sorry," Castor threatened.

"You don't scare me, little boy," Loki sneered at his former accomplice. "_I'm_ the one to dish out the threats here. It's _you_ who will pay for defying me."

"Think again," Castor raised both of his hands. With all of the energy he had left, Castor fired off one last aura sphere, the most powerful one he could form. It collided with Loki before the older man could even attempt to create his own attack, and sent him flying backwards.

Instead of hitting the metal wall, however, Loki's body crashed into the single window, destroying the glass and sending the evil man out of the still flying airship, falling mercilessly to his death.

"Finally," Castor sighed, falling to his knees as he panted heavily. Suddenly, he remembered that Misty was still tied up, and probably suffering. He forced himself to crawl over to her and remove the rope from both her wrists and ankles. As soon as it was off, Misty hurried next to Ash, lifting him up as well as she could. It wasn't easy, between how much heavier he was than Misty and the fact that her swollen abdomen was in the way, but Misty was not deterred. She rested Ash's head in her lap, gently patting his cheek in an effort to get him to wake up.

"Ash…Ashy…" Misty was begging trough tears. "Wake up…please. I'm safe now…and everything is okay…"

Castor frowned as he watched the scene, wondering what he could to do to help the seemingly doomed couple.

"Ash, you can't die!" Misty's voice was growing stronger now. "I need you! I love you, and the twins love you, and the baby loves you too! Please, just _wake_ _up!_"

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><p><strong>Really, really evil cliff hanger, I know. This chapter actually ended up being a little shorter than the recent ones (I thought it was gonna be alot longer, to be hones, due to all of the action) but I felt like I couldn't go on it. Leaving it at this cliff hanger just seemed alot more appealing than ending it the way I was going to. So you'll all just have to wait and see what happens with Ash :P<strong>

**And, before anyone asks, yes, Loki is FINALLY dead! He's not coming back, so don't worry about any comebacks by the ultimate evil.**

**So how was the showdown? Leave a review and let me know what you thought, your reactions, what you think will happen next, all of that! I always love seeing how you guys think the story is going to go :) So, until next time, keep on reading and being awesome! You guys are the best!**


	19. Freedom

**Hello, my lovely readers! I'm super excited to be posting this new chapter from MY OWN laptop! Somehow, it managed to not die from its virus attack, and everything is safe! I've never been happier over anything in my life as far my computer is concerned ^^**

**So, at the end of last chapter, I left you with the (admittedly evil) cliffhanger of Ash appearing to be left dead after Loki's merciless attacks. So what will happen now? Read on and find out!**

* * *

><p>Castor bit his lip as he watched Misty cry over Ash's nonresponsive body. Pikachu, who had been left shocked by all of the concurrent aura attacks, was now sitting by Ash as well, tears welling up in his own beady black eyes. Castor couldn't be sure if the Pokémon master was dead or not; he wasn't sending out any aura signals. Even if Ash <em>wasn't<em> dead, he was completely drained of his energy, and severely exhausted.

_I can't stand to see miss so upset, and her husband in such poor condition, _Castor thought darkly. _But what can I do to help her?_

Suddenly, he got an idea. Castor wasn't certain that it would work, but he knew that he needed to try. Ash clearly meant the world to Misty, and if Castor didn't even attempt to save the man, he would have no purpose in life.

Moving over to Ash, Castor surveyed his unconscious being one last time before pressing a hand against the older man's forehead. It was sweaty, with his front black locks stuck and matted to the skin. Misty, who was still wailing, looked up at Castor, her tear filled eyes glinting with a sense of curiosity.

"C…Castor," Misty hiccupped. "Wh…what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to revive him," Castor closed his eyes in order to concentrate, something that he normally didn't have to do in order to use his aura. "I will do my best, miss."

"With…with an aura transfer?"

"Yes."

"But Castor, you don't have much energy left yourself!"

"Your husband is the one who needs to live, not me," Castor shook his head. "He has you and your children. I am alone in this world, and I've done it a disservice by accompanying Loki all these years. So I must help your husband."

"You'll…you'll die…" Misty whispered.

"It's alright," Castor gasped as his eyes turned blue. "I promise, miss. It will be alright."

Misty watched through watery eyes as Castor transferred his aura into Ash, trying desperately to bring the Pokémon master back into consciousness. He was trembling as he pushed the aura out, although Ash was showing no signs of waking up. The sapphire hue of Castor's eyes was beginning to fade into a much lighter blue, and his breathing was becoming much more erratic.

"Castor," Misty frowned.

"M…my aura…" Castor heaved, "it isn't enough…"

Misty whimpered and looked back down at Ash. His head lolled in her lap, her hand still on his cheek. So Ash had thought he was alone after Loki's lie, but now Misty had physical evidence that _she _was alone. She would give anything to have Ash back…_anything._

"Ash…" Misty whispered as her tears began to fall on Ash's handsome and almost peaceful face, "I love you…and I'm sorry…"

The glow in Castor's eyes had all but disappeared, and he himself seemed to be on the verge of tears. He couldn't save Ash, and now Misty was devastated. Castor had found Misty to be an even better friend than Loki, and now he had let her down in the worst way imaginable.

As Misty cried, the baby that she carried seemed to become irate. It began to thrash around, violently hitting every spot inside Misty's stomach. She gasped and clutched her bump, her tears only increasing as the baby hurt her. Castor furrowed his brow and watched as Misty struggled with the unborn baby, her hand slowly losing its grip on her belly and instead gathering the material of her shirt into a tight fist.

"Miss, are you alright?" Castor asked weakly.

"The…the baby…she's hurting me…" Misty choked out. "Ah! S…something must be wrong…"

Suddenly, Misty's heavy stomach let out a bright sapphire light, causing both Misty and Castor to gasp.

"What…what's going on?" Misty stammered, her eyes widening.

"She's using her aura," Castor gawked. "Though, for what I'm not entirely sure."

The pain searing through Misty's abdomen slowly dissipated, and all that remained was the powerful glow created from the baby's aura. The light soon spread towards Ash's head, and danced idly above the grown man's clammy forehead. It then covered his eyes, the glow intensifying for a few moments before fading back to a less concentrated shade.

As the light continued to disappear, Ash let out a soft, barely audible moan, and twitched one of his eyebrows. Both Castor and Misty gasped at the sudden action, and a new hope began to fill Misty's heart as a tiny smile grew on her otherwise worn face.

"Ash?" Misty beckoned sweetly.

At the sound of her voice, Ash groaned yet again, a little more loudly this time, and started to tilt his head back towards Misty.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered.

"That's it honey," Misty encouraged, beaming at her slowly awakening husband as more tears collected in her dark green eyes. "Come back to me."

Ash's eyelids finally lifted, his light russet orbs searching Misty's face with a certain sense of curiosity. Misty smiled gently at him, an action which Ash returned after a short moment of deliberation.

"Misty," Ash spoke, his voice hoarse and rough.

At that moment, the red head shrieked. It alarmed both Castor and Ash, the latter of whom jumped at the sudden noise. He stared directly into Misty's face, expecting her to be infuriated and ready to strike. Ash flinched in anticipation, but that moment never came.

Instead, a jovial Misty let out another happy cry as she threw her arms around Ash, hugging him so tightly he was afraid his lungs would burst. He could feel her body trembling, a sign that she was crying. Ash sighed and comfortingly rubbed the back of Misty's neck as she buried her face into the space between his own neck and shoulder.

"Hey now angel," Ash soothed, whispering into Misty's ear. "Don't cry. We're all okay now, right?"

"Mmmhm," Misty nodded as she raised her head. Ash smiled gently and wiped her remaining tears away, earning an appreciate giggle from his wife. "I know. But…these are _happy_ tears, Ashy."

"I don't care if they're sad or if they're happy," Ash pressed his forehead against Misty's. "The one thing I can't stand to see are tears coming out of those pretty green eyes of yours."

"You almost died though," Misty frowned now, the color fading from her cheeks.

"But I didn't," Ash comforted. Furrowing his brow slightly, Ash wondered aloud, "I was so weak though. Who saved me?"

Misty smirked and turned her glance over towards Castor, who was sitting in complete silence as he observed the couple. Ash noticed Misty's turned gaze, so he too decided to look in that direction. Locking eyes with the navy haired man, Ash remembered that this was the same person who had given him some aura in order to fight Loki.

"Castor did," Misty replied as she took Ash's hand into her own. "He started to transfer his aura to you almost as soon as he sent Loki flying."

"Loki!" Ash gasped. He jumped to his feet, bracing himself for an attack from the evil man. Unfortunately, Ash was still weak from the effects of Loki's aura spheres, and he quickly fell back down on his knees.

"Ash, take it easy," Misty implored, resting a hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry babe," Ash smiled weakly. "I just got nervous is all." Shifting his eyes around in mistrust, Ash muttered, "so where is that jerk? I swore I'd kill him."

"Castor took care of that too," Misty assured her husband. "Loki is gone, Ash, and he'll never hurt anybody again."

Once again, Ash turned towards Castor, who blushed slightly and nodded sheepishly. "Indeed I did, Pokémon master. I knew that I had to take care of him. Loki may have been a friend long ago, but he'd become nothing but trouble. When I saw him about to hurt your wife and child, I couldn't stand for it any longer."

"And you helped give me my energy back to fight him," Ash murmured, looking down at his hands. He thought for a few moments before raising his eyes back to Castor and smiling boldly. "Thank you. I'm sorry for shoving you before, and not trusting you."

"I certainly can't blame you," Castor shook his head. "Besides, you shouldn't really be thanking me for reviving you."

"Huh? Why not? Didn't you help me just now?"

"Well, yes. But…I only _half _helped."

"Half helped?" Ash repeated, looking around the room for someone else who could've helped in bringing him back to consciousness. When he saw no one, Ash looked back at Castor and inquired, "who did the other half, then?"

"That little baby girl of yours," Castor chuckled, nodding towards Misty's stomach.

Ash's jaw dropped slightly, and he turned to Misty. She was smiling gently, resting a hand on the middle of her protruding midsection. Ash moved closer to Misty, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling in both amazement and disbelief. "Misty…?"

"Our daughter is amazing, Ash," Misty breathed, a small giggle escaping from her throat. "She's all you."

Ash felt like he could hardly breathe. Reaching out, he gently caressed Misty's pregnant belly before sliding forward and wrapping his arms around her expanded waistline, resting his cheek on the swell of her stomach.

"I love you more than you'll ever know, baby girl," Ash whispered so quietly that only Misty could hear what he was saying. "I'm so grateful for you."

"Ash," Misty whimpered happily as she gently touched the back of Ash's head.

Ash turned his head so his mouth was right against Misty's stomach. Chuckling so that his warm breath traveled through Misty's shirt and tickled her skin, Ash batted his eyelashes and murmured a sweet, "I love you," before kissing his wife's bump.

Castor watched the scene with glittering eyes. The reunited family was a wonderful sight, and it truly warmed Castor's heart. Deep down, it made Castor wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by people who loved him as dearly as this unborn child was loved. It must be a great feeling, he assumed, and he wanted to experience it for his own.

"Let me land the ship," Castor piped up quietly, feeling almost guilty for breaking up the delicate moment. Ash and Misty looked towards him, neither of their happy expressions breaking. "I should get you two back to your twins." Castor got up and headed out of the room. As he did so, Misty came to realization and gasped in a horrified fashion.

"Oh, Aiden and Michelle," Misty's face paled as she turned back towards Ash. "They must be terrified, my poor babies. Did Loki scare them when he came down and told you that awful lie?"

"No, they had no idea what he said to me," Ash shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to tell them what had happened to you. Well…what I _thought_ had happened to you. I was on the verge of cracking and telling them the truth when our little baby sent me that aura signal. That's when I realized that you and her were safe; or at least alive."

"Baby girl," Misty beamed as she looked down at her stomach. "You are so, _so_ amazing! You just love your Daddy, don't you? You won't stand to be separated from him, huh?"

"We should name her Angel," Ash chuckled glowingly.

"No, that's your nickname for me!" Misty retorted in an almost defensive manner.

"Right, I forgot my sweet Misty could be so possessive," Ash teased, watching gleefully as the red head growled lowly and turned a light shade of red. "Either way, our daughter really is a wonderful little thing. She's going to need a perfect name to match!"

"Her name could be Haven," Misty suggested brightly. "Like a safe haven. I think that's a cute, appropriate name for her."

"Nah, it sounds weird," Ash dismissed the idea. "What about Bella? That one's pretty."

"I hate that name," Misty stated bluntly.

"Why do you hate the name Bella?" Ash seemed rather confused by Misty's response.

"I don't know. I just do. It isn't for our daughter, that's all I know."

"Alright then. Say, you know what name I still love?"

Misty sighed tiredly before plainly uttering, "AJ?"

"No, that's for a _boy, _Mist," Ash winked playfully.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. Let's see…a girl's name…Ashley?"

"Come on angel, quit making fun of me!"

"I'm only playing dear," Misty pulled Ash forward and kissed his lips. Pulling away, she shrugged, "I don't know. Tell me which name."

"Kate," Ash's eyes sparked at the thought.

"Oh yeah!" Misty giggled airily. "I forgot. You were _obsessed_ with that name for Michelle!"

"Yeah, but your name for her was better," Ash nodded. "Our little Shelly looks much more like a Michelle than she does a Kate. But if we get used to calling this baby Kate _now…_"

"I just don't know," Misty's smile eased slightly as she looked away in an almost shy fashion. "This sounds weird, I guess, but she doesn't quite feel like a Kate either."

"We haven't seen her yet, though!" Ash stroked Misty's cheek, earning a surprised but happy little shriek from the gym leader. "Well, we have, but I would hardly call sonogram pictures a very good judge of what our child is going to look like."

"I know that," Misty blushed slightly. "But Kate is such a delicate, airy sounding name…and our daughter is a little bit rough."

"What do you mean?" Ash blinked.

"Well, she likes to kick me _really _hard. And at the worst times too! She already doesn't like to sleep, you know. Ever since I've been away from you, I'm almost certain she hasn't gone to sleep. I just feel her bouncing around _all _the time. And she's a little fighter too. She made _sure _that Loki didn't drive you away! And all of that through using supernatural powers. As an _unborn_ baby. You really think this little girl is gonna be a gentle thing?"

"I'm not sure," Ash rubbed his chin. "All I know is that I'm going to treat her like a little princess, just like I do with Michelle."

"Says the man who never wanted a daughter," Misty scoffed with a smirk.

"I never said I didn't want a daughter," Ash gently tweaked his wife's nose. Smirking at her ticklish reaction, Ash continued, "I was _afraid _to have a daughter, at first. I was almost certain I would mess a little girl up. But I guess I didn't, because Michelle and I are like the best of friends."

"She adores you," Misty beamed. "I've never seen such a Daddy's girl before. And now, our new baby girl seems to have just as much love for you as Michelle does!"

"I don't think we're going to be able to pick a name for this baby until she's born," Ash sighed playfully as he shook his head.

"Me either," Misty agreed. "We need to see her face before we make any big decisions like what we're going to call her for the rest of her life."

Unable to think of what else to say, Ash leaned forward and engulfed his wife in a tight embrace. He was so happy to be back with her, both of them safe and sound. It just made Ash want to melt in the presence of his beautiful, red headed gym leader. Misty laughed sweetly once Ash's arms were wrapped around her and nestled into the hug, cuddling her head against the Pokémon master's chest. Both could feel the ship beginning to land, but neither of them wanted to move from the comfortable position they were currently in.

"Don't stop," Misty murmured once the ship was finally on the ground. "I want to stay like this forever."

"But we can't," Ash kissed the top of her head. "We have to go see Aiden and Michelle. They were _really_ worried about you, angel."

"I do want to see my babies," Misty smiled gently. Looking up at Ash with sparkling green eyes, Misty announced, "I want to go."

"What a turn around," Ash remarked in a playful fashion. He rose to his feet and offered Misty his hand, knowing that It would be more difficult for her to get up than it had been for him. Misty giggle and accepted Ash's assistance, although she wasn't about to fawn over her husband's sweet action.

"I can still get up by myself you know," Misty cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, it's a little hard, but I'm not completely immobile yet."

"I know, but you _are_ about six months along," Ash smirked. "It won't be much longer before you'll need me to carry you everywhere."

"What?" A heavy blush flooded Misty's cheeks as she scowled. "That's not gonna happen, Ash Ketchum!"

"Whatever you say, beautiful," Ash threw in a teasing wink for good measure.

"No way!"

"Oh, am I interrupting something?"

Ash and Misty looked towards the doorway, where Castor was standing with an almost embarrassed look on his face. The couple laughed before simultaneously shaking their heads.

"Nah, you're good Castor," Ash chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

"I've landed the ship, as I assume the two of you have already guessed," Castor informed the two. "We're right in the middle of a forest, though which one I'm not entirely sure. Trying to read ma-I mean, Loki's tracking system is like trying to read in a foreign language. But I do believe your children are nearby. Are they with another adult?"

"Yeah, Ash, who did you leave the twins with?" Misty suddenly felt a surge of nervousness overtake her.

"It's alright Mist, they're with Brock," Ash assured with a gorgeous smile. "He forced his way into coming with me to find you. I didn't want to get him involved at first, because hurting anybody else would kill me. But he really was a big help."

"Oh, good," Misty covered her heart with her hand. Ash frowned, realizing that Misty was probably thinking they had been abducted by another villain. Reaching out, he began stroking the back of Misty's neck, quickly relaxing the gym leader.

"I can prove to you that they're alright," Ash whispered to Misty. "Come on."

"I believe you," Misty playfully smacked his cheek. Ash laughed and reached for Misty's hand, enclosing it in his own and leading her out of the room in search of the exit.

"They're going to be so excited to see you!" Ash chuckled, his face lighting up in excitement.

"Okay, okay, slow down!" Misty shrieked laughingly. "I'm a little bit heavier than usual! That makes it harder to run, you know."

"Sorry, I'm just really happy!" Ash turned his head to grin widely at his wife. Misty breathed out softly and returned the action. Castor, meanwhile, trailed behind the two, following after them in almost complete silence.

The Pokémon master practically skipped down the forest path, still pulling Misty along with him. She understood his joy over the fact that she was safe and sound, but she still found his unrelenting happiness to be a little off. Maybe because she didn't want to be dragged around by him while she had another human being taking up residence in her body and weighing her down.

"Do you even know where Brock and the kids are?" Misty asked Ash flatly after fifteen minutes of wandering around. At this point, Ash had stopped in his tracks, and was looking curiously in every direction.

"Well, I…"

"Oh, it's just like when we were kids!" Misty planted her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "You never had a single idea of where we were going, did you?"

"Not really, but…"

"How could you be so foolish, Ash?"

"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Ash spun around, sounding rather panic stricken. "I was trying to do something good!"

"Trying, but not succeeding," Misty rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash suddenly didn't look so amused.

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"Why do you have to get on me?" Ash folded his arms, furrowing his brow. Pikachu, who had remained silent for the entire trek, sighed tiredly from his usual spot on Ash's shoulder. He was used to the couple fighting, of course, but even the electric mouse knew that now was not the time nor place to be making such a scene.

"Because I'm tired, hungry, and, last time I checked, pretty damn pregnant!" Misty stormed. "And that in itself means I'm sore and moody! I just want to see my children, know they're okay, and then go home and take a nice, long nap!"

Ash could only stand there with his mouth hanging open, unsure of how to react to Misty's sudden outburst. Clearly, her hormones were back and raging, and Ash was currently unprepared to deal with the drama and attitude his wife was giving him.

"Miss, if I may?" Castor called. Misty grew wide eyed and whipped around, a look of shock written on her face.

"Castor, have you been following us this whole time?"

"Indeed I have miss," Castor blushed slightly.

"AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?" Misty bellowed. Castor stepped back slightly, his own eyes widening at her sudden cry.

"Well, you and your dear husband just looked so happy…" Castor nervously waved his hands in front of himself. "I didn't want to intrude on the moment!"

"It's alright Castor," Ash sighed, gently gripping his wife's shoulder. "You have no reason to be sorry. My wife is just a little irritable right now; it has nothing to do with you. So, how do you know where my friend and kids are?"

"I can feel the twins' aura," Castor replied, his body relaxing as Ash reassured him. "If you would like, I can lead you to them."

"That would be wonderful," Ash smiled at the navy haired young man before giving his wife a gentle yet warning look. "Thank you, Castor."

Castor nodded happily and moved in front of the couple, ready to lead them to their children. Misty turned her head to glare at Ash, who looked completely unaffected by her hostile action.

"Everything will be alright, angel," Ash murmured to the still unhappy woman. "Just you wait and see."

**XXX**

"Brock, I'm scared."

Brock looked down at his goddaughter and gave the little red head a reassuring smile. The action didn't seem to soothe her, however, as she let out a small whine and folded her arms, sticking out her lower lip in a sure fire sign that she was about to cry.

"Baby girl, I'm sure your Daddy is just fine," Brock lifted the child up into his arms and gently rocked her back and forth. "He's very brave, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Michelle mumbled, her eyes darkening slightly. "But Mommy says that sometimes he does stupid stuff. So what if he messes up?"

Brock choked back a laugh. Michelle was quick to notice this, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry sweetheart. You're just a funny little girl, is all. Trust me, in this situation, your Daddy wouldn't do _anything_ stupid."

_At least I hope he wouldn't, _Brock thought, groaning inwardly at the idea.

The sound of grunting and aggravated whines soon caught Brock's attention. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of Aiden attempting to climb up a nearby tree, although not getting very far. The young boy just kept sliding back down, a look of provocation on his young face. Growling, Aiden popped back up and made another attempt, which finally prompted Brock to indulge in his curiosity.

"Aiden, buddy, what are you doing?" Brock called out.

"I…I wanna see where Daddy is!" Aiden answered while trying again to ascend the tree. The second attempt was met with the same result as the first, however, and this only caused Aiden to grow more irate.

"That's not very safe, little guy," Brock warned.

"I'll be fine!" Aiden grinned at the older man, his young exuberance shining like rays of sunlight. "I have superpowers like Daddy, you know."

"Yes, powers that will cause more harm than help," Brock muttered under his breath.

"Don't do that!" Michelle shrieked, harshly pinching Brock's cheek. The Pokémon doctor cried out in pain, quickly pulling the girl's small hand away from his face.

"Michelle! What was that for?"

"Mommy says to never talk that way," Michelle wagged a finger at her godfather, who in turn looked surprised by her words. "She says it's rude. I know because she yells at Daddy for it all the time!"

"I see, so you're the Misty police, huh?" Brock deadpanned.

"Yes," Michelle answered proudly, once again folding her arms. "Mommy says I'm her perfect little helper!"

_Mini Misty, _Brock thought as a little smirk grew on his face. _I bet the new little girl ends up being Mini Misty part two._

"I just want Daddy to come back," Aiden grumbled, shuffling over to Brock. The older man chuckled, seeing that the boy was making it perfectly clear that his attempts to climb the tree had failed. "And with Mommy, too."

"Soon Aiden," Brock nudged the child with his foot. "I'm sure of it."

Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but he was quickly cut off by a voice that the young boy had grown accustomed with over the past few days.

"Ah, here they are!"

Brock, Aiden, and Michelle all looked ahead, gasping at who was coming towards them. Castor was leading the way, with Ash and Misty following eagerly behind him. Ash looked rather pleased with himself, but Misty, on the other hand, looked annoyed.

"Mommy!" Michelle shrieked, her face lighting up at the sight of her mother.

Misty glanced up, and her stony resolve melted away like ice. Upon seeing Michelle, a huge grin broke out on Misty's face, and her eyes instantly lit up. She tore away from Ash, suddenly finding speed and strength in herself that she never knew she could possess while pregnant.

"Michelle!" Misty breathed, ripping the girl out of Brock's arms. She knew full well she wasn't supposed to carry her children while she was pregnant, but Misty didn't care at this point. "I missed you so much sweetheart."

"I was scared, Mommy," Michelle buried her face into Misty's shoulder. "I was scared."

"I know, and I'm so sorry," Misty hugged the girl a little more tightly. "I won't ever scare you like that again. Promise."

"Mist, I know you're happy to see the twins again, but you can't be picking them up," Ash tried to frown, but he just couldn't while watching the happy reunion.

"Ash, leave me and my little girl alone," Misty murmured in an almost desperate fashion. Michelle hugged her mother a little more tightly, for fear of being separated from her. Misty did the same, leaving a hand on the back of her daughter's head in order to feel the girl's soft red locks. She felt the young girl's legs press against the sides of her swollen stomach, which only comforted Misty all the more.

"Mommy!" Aiden cried, wanting some attention for himself. Smiling guiltily, Misty kissed Michelle on the head before leaning down and placing the young girl on her feet in order to hold her arms out towards Aiden.

"I'm sorry baby," Misty beamed at her son, "you know I missed you too!"

"I missed you a lot too," Aiden whimpered. This surprised Misty greatly. Aiden rarely _ever_ cried over _anything! _But here he was, about to cry over, all things, her.

"Oh, come here sweetheart," Misty breathed tearfully. Aiden jumped at her, nearly knocking the red head down. Her son was very strong for such a young kid, which Misty knew he got from his father. She embraced him tightly, gently rocking the boy back and forth while he gripped at her shoulders in order to gain a sense of security. "I'm not going anywhere baby," Misty assured the boy, "don't you worry."

Eventually, Aiden separated from his mother, although there were still tears set in his dark brown eyes. One escaped, and Misty cooed softly as she wiped the drop of water away. "No crying, buddy. It's okay."

Sighing, Misty stood back up, a slight pain travelling through her back. She grimaced but otherwise ignored the crick, looking towards Brock with a gentle smile. "Hi there, Brock."

"Misty, I'm so glad you're alright," Brock laughed just once, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the smaller gym leader. "You had me really worried."

"I know, sorry," Misty looked up with a delicate blush.

"Not your fault," Brock smirked, leaving a brotherly kiss on Misty's forehead.

The two friends separated, and Misty now set her attention on Castor, who once again looked touched by all the affection that was in the air.

"Castor, thank you so much for everything," Misty beamed at the younger man. "I really think you saved my life." Placing a hand on her belly, Misty's smile widened as she added, "and my baby's, too."

"Well, I know for a fact you saved mine," Ash approached the navy haired, former accomplice and grinned.

"You're both too kind," Castor bowed his head. "I'm truly grateful for having met the both of you, and being able to assist you in your time of need. This experience has helped me to open my eyes, and now I realize what I must do with my life."

"And what's that?" Misty inquired curiously.

"I keep running those words of yours through my head, from when we first met," Castor smirked. "That everyone has a choice in life. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you were correct. I made a mistake, but now I'm ready to rectify it. I have decided that I am going to study to become a doctor. I want to be able to help more people in the way that I've helped you, and your husband."

"That sounds wonderful Castor!" Misty's eyes lit up. "I'm sure you'll do wonderfully with it."

"I certainly take your words to heart," Castor gave a nod. "I will try my very best. Perhaps I will even find a beautiful girl of my own, and one day be as happy as you and the dear Pokémon master. I would love nothing more."

"I'm sure you'll find somebody," Ash encouraged the younger man. "You have a lot of heart, Castor."

"You are all wonderful, and I promise that I shall remember this encounter for the rest of my life," Castor bowed to the group before him. "Maybe one day our paths will cross again, and in much happier circumstances than when we first met."

"I'm certain that we will," Misty giggled airily. "I look forward to that day!"

"Good luck!" Ash bid.

"Thank you again, and farewell!" Castor waved to his newfound friends before setting off towards the next chapter of his life, one that would hopefully be happier than what he had experienced ever since the demise of his family and rescuer.

"He's finally free," Misty sighed happily, raising her hand to cover her heart in bliss.

"And so are you," Ash beamed, throwing his arms around Misty and hugging her close. "So are you, angel."

* * *

><p><strong>I wasn't gonna let Ash die, no way :P He needs to be there for his baby girl!<strong>

**I'm hoping to get another chapter up within the next week, because I have midterms coming up and don't know how much I'll be able to do during that time. I'm on a good pace right now though, and I've already started the next chapter, so it's looking pretty good right now!**

**Got lots of awesome reviews last chapter, so thanks for that! Lots of you knew that I wasn't going to kill Ash off. You guys know me all too well :P Those reviews are always great, though! I love seeing what you guys think of the current chapter and what will happen next. So, why don't you leave some more and tell me what you think? That'd be awesome! ;)**

**Until next time, dear readers, keep on reading and being awesome!**


	20. Unsettled

**Super long update! Hooray!**

**I like the way this chapter came out. We're taking a break from those dark themes for a little while longer (I think Ash and Misty need to relax a little bit, no?) so for now we're going to have some sweet, Pokeshippy fluff. But there's still going to be some angst. You'll see why. But not everything is all happy and perfect now that Misty is back.**

**Curious? Read on and find out...**

* * *

><p><em>Everything was dark.<em>

_Misty couldn't see a single thing, although there were some haunting noises sounding off in the background. The series of unsettling sounds could be taken as a group of Hoothoot, while the high pitched, "chirping" like noises were most likely coming from some nocturnal bug Pokémon._

_Even though she couldn't see, Misty felt the need to shut her eyes as tightly as possible. She was scared, and lonely. Aiden, Michelle, and even Ash were all gone. She had no idea where they were. They had just been with her a moment ago, before everything turned dark…_

_A door suddenly slammed, causing Misty to involuntarily shriek and further squeeze her eyelids closed. Her body was trembling, her heart and mind racing._

"_Where are you, my Queen?"_

_Misty stopped any form of movement at that point. All of the noise had stopped, and the only thing she could hear at the moment was her heavily beating heart. She knew that voice, she was sure of it. But Misty had thought the whole ordeal was over…was it not?_

"_Why do you not answer me when I call you?"_

_The familiar voice was angry now, clearly displeased by her silence. Letting out a shuttered breath, Misty looked up and demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"_

_A single ray of light appeared, illuminating the figure of none other than Loki._

"_You!" Misty couldn't help but to scream, her eyes widening._

"_Who were you expecting?" Loki's voice curled._

_Lowering her eyes, Misty realized that the dastardly villain was holding a baby girl. She couldn't see the child's face, but what Misty _could _see was the very dark, almost brown, wispy hair of the baby, who was loosely covered in a white and pink blanket. She was screaming and crying, clearly not happy with being held by the silver haired man. Biting her lip, Misty pressed a hand against her stomach and felt that it was perfectly flat._

"_My baby," Misty whimpered, silently begging for the child. Loki chuckled darkly and shook his head, while the baby continued to cry. "Give her to me! Can't you see she's upset?"_

"_Children cry, dear, it's as simple as that," Loki sneered. "Either way, I was just about to send her off with Castor. You and I have much work to be done."_

"_What work?" Misty blinked._

"_You know very well that in order to build our empire, we need a decent number of offspring," Loki grinned deviously at the terrified gym leader. "This child isn't even mine, so she can't have a large part in our future world. In fact, the only reason I keep her around is because of the aura she possesses."_

"_Don't talk about my little girl that way!" Misty yelled._

"_Silence!" Loki barked. "You had this little brat months ago, so now it's about time you provide me with a child of my own!"_

"_Never!" Misty cried. She jumped up and tried to run away, but Loki caught her with his aura and pulled her back harshly._

"_You don't get a say in the matter," Loki hissed through clenched teeth. "Your fate is sealed. It is in my hands now…"_

_Misty was trapped, and all she could do was scream, "no, no, NO!"_

**XXX**

"NO!"

Misty shot up, sweating profusely as she breathed heavily towards the point of hyperventilating. Ash was quick to follow, jumping up in order to turn the lamp by his side of the bed on. With the room now gently illuminated, Ash's wide and frightened eyes carefully studied the sobbing and trembling figure of his wife, and right away he felt the need to help her.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ash hushed, rubbing up and down Misty's back, "are you okay? Did you have a nightmare, Mist?"

Misty nodded wordlessly as tears began to fall down her cheeks. Ash's frown deepened, and he reached out with his free hand in order to wipe away his wife's tears.

"No need to cry, angel," Ash whispered. "You're okay."

In reality, Ash was rather concerned about Misty. Ever since she'd been brought back home two weeks ago after her torturous time with Loki, Misty had been suffering from frequent night terrors, although she hadn't opened up to him on what these bad dreams were about. Of course, Ash had a pretty good idea of what it was, but he didn't want to make any assumptions for fear of further upsetting his wife.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ash asked after a few tense moments of silence. Misty sniffed and shook her head. "But sweetheart," Ash tried reasoning, "you might feel better if you can tell me what's wrong. You know I'd do anything in my power to help you feel better."

Misty's sobs intensified once again, causing Ash to sigh and pull her into his side. Her arm pressed into his body, and Ash grimaced at the contact. Misty had always been thin, even when she was pregnant. During this time, she only gained weight in her stomach, but her arm was much bonier than usual. She hadn't eaten much in the past two weeks, no matter how much Ash begged and pleaded for her to do so. On a normal basis, if Misty didn't want to eat, Ash would still try and force her to do it. But with Misty being nearly seven months pregnant, Ash also had their unborn daughter to be concerned about and he wanted to ensure that they were both getting a sufficient amount of nutrition.

"I really think you would feel better if you talked to me," Ash murmured after taking a few minutes to allow Misty to calm down.

"A…Ash, I…I really don't want to," Misty stammered, her body still shaking with silent sobs.

Ash grimaced. He wanted nothing more than for Misty to open up to him, but the last thing he wanted to do was make her even more upset than she already was. That wasn't good for the baby either.

"Alright then," Ash leaned his cheek against Misty's, listening as her breath began to even out, "you should go back to sleep now. You need lots of it."

"I don't like sleeping," Misty muttered, lowering her eyes once again.

"Because of the nightmares?" Ash asked. Misty slowly nodded her head, raising her arms in order to wrap them around herself. He breathed out softly and turned her face towards him, smiling gently as he touched their noses together. "Alright. I don't want you to get worked up anymore. Can you at least lie back down and rest?"

Misty didn't answer for a long time, causing Ash to scowl playfully. This earned a reluctant laugh from the red head, who, upon realizing this, quickly reverted back to her miserable expression.

"Well?" Ash pressed.

"Fine," Misty sighed, settling herself back down. Ash laid down next to her, combing his fingers through her bright red hair in an effort to relax her. Misty rolled her eyes back to stare at her husband, who in turn smiled softly at the woman.

Ash wasn't sure what he was going to do with Misty. Closing herself off from him was strange enough in itself. Ash knew he couldn't keep letting Misty suffer on her own, however. He was going to help her get past the whole ordeal if it was the last thing he did.

**XXX**

"Do you want some of my cereal, Mommy?"

Misty looked down at Michelle, who was holding a spoonful of the sugary breakfast food out towards her. Misty smiled sadly and shook her head, causing Michelle to frown and pull the utensil back.

"No baby, it's alright. You eat your breakfast."

"But…you don't have any food, Mommy," Michelle reasoned.

"I'm not very hungry."

"Isn't that bad?"

"Michelle," Misty sighed, burying her face in her hands. The younger red head only looked more flustered by this, not understanding why her mother was acting so strange. She just seemed so gloomy all the time, and rarely ever smiled. When she _did_ grin, they were just half hearted and sad.

"Michelle, sweetheart, let Mommy be," Ash suddenly appeared, walking in from upstairs where he'd just been taking a shower. He was fully dressed, although not in his usual training clothes. Ash was instead dressed the way he would for an off day, which today certainly wasn't. Misty cast him a sideways glance, becoming especially bewildered by his still wet hair.

"But Daddy…"

"No buts!" Ash chuckled as he patted Michelle's head. "Finish up your breakfast, baby girl. Someone special is coming to see you and Aiden."

"Oooh, who?" Michelle squealed, getting to her feet and jumping up and down on her chair. "Who is it, Daddy?"

"You'll find out, princess," Ash sighed. Motioning with his hand, he continued, "Now sit down and eat. Or else you'll neverfind out."

Michelle gasped and quickly settled herself back into her seat, hurriedly eating the rest of her cereal.

"Ash, what do you mean someone is coming to see Aiden and Michelle?" Misty hissed at her husband. Once again surveying his outfit, she added, "and why are you not dressed for work? Don't you have training to do?"

"Probably, but it'll have to wait until another day," Ash replied. "I have more important things to take care of at the moment."

"Oh, not this _again,_" Misty grunted, gently pulling at her silky red tresses. "Ash Ketchum, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm _fine, _and that you do _not _need to put off work for me? You make me feel so useless!"

"You're anything but, angel," Ash reassured his clearly frustrated wife, "but you're definitely not fine. Anyone with half a brain could see that."

"Is that why _you_ claim to see it?"

Ash just sat there with his mouth agape for a few moments before responding, "okay, I'm just gonna blame that one on your hormones."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Either way!" Ash cleared his throat, "I'm worried about you, Misty, and I made a promise to myself that I would help you. So that's my priority right now."

"I don't see what you could possibly do that would help me," Misty huffed. Ash looked a little hurt by that comment, and Misty regretted uttering those words almost instantly. She certainly hadn't meant to insult Ash like that; he was only trying to help after all. But really, Misty didn't want any help. No one could understand this except for her, and she didn't want anyone else to understand either. All of these thoughts just made Misty even more miserable. She was also too upset and stubborn to apologize to Ash at this point.

"I'm going to find a way," Ash continued, seemingly not deterred by Misty's retort. "I won't let you down, Misty."

"Whatever," Misty grumbled, sinking down in her chair. At this point, Ash wanted to do the same thing. But he was not the kind of man to give up, and he certainly would never give up on his wife.

"Okay Daddy, I'm done now!" Michelle laid her spoon down and stared at her father with big, emerald eyes. "Where's the surprise?"

"He won't be here for a little while longer," Ash smirked at the clearly excited child. "But now would be the perfect time for you to get dressed! I'm sure you don't want him to see you in your pajamas."

"I like my pajamas," Michelle frowned as she looked down at her purple and blue nightwear.

"Oh honey, I didn't mean it that way! They're very, very cute. But I think it would be better if you got into some clothes. Can you do that for me, baby girl?"

"Yes Daddy," Michelle nodded excitedly, sliding off onto the floor. "Should I tell Aiden, too?"

"That would be nice," Ash smiled. He processed Michelle's words, and quickly called out, "Michelle, where _is _Aiden?"

"He's sleeping," Michelle spun around and answered cutely.

"Ah, right, he's just like me," Ash rubbed the back of his neck in an almost bashful manner.

"Does this mean I can wake him up?" Michelle clapped her hands together.

"Yes it does. But do it _nicely, _okay princess?"

"Of course Daddy!" Michelle beamed, racing off towards the stairs.

Ash smiled after the girl until she was out of sight, at which point he turned back to Misty and realized how truly miserable she looked. He sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair, trying to come up with something to distract his wife with.

Before he could conjure anything up, however, the door bell rang. Misty cast him a glance, indicating that she was about to kill him for whoever was at the door. Without changing his expression, Ash gently gripped Misty's bare shoulder as she stood up, trying to straighten his hair out slightly as he approached the door.

Twisting the knob, Ash found himself face to face with Justin, who looked rather relieved by the sight of the Pokémon master.

"Oh, I was so worried about you guys!" Justin breathed, his eyes widening slightly.

"Why would you be worried?" Ash's heart sped up ever so slightly. He hadn't told Justin or anyone else about the whole episode with Loki. It was mostly because he didn't want to freak them out, but also because their aura didn't need to be publicized.

"Well, because Misty was supposed to get back to working the gym a few days ago, but every time I came, the door still had the closed sign on it. I was afraid something bad happened to her. And every time I called her cell phone, she didn't answer…"

"Is that all?" Ash chuckled as Justin trailed off, hoping to cover his nervousness. "It's no big deal, really. Misty just wasn't feeling very well. The doctor decided a few more days of rest couldn't hurt, so that's what he ordered."

"And she's okay now?" Justin seemed to relax.

"Well, she's back to yelling at me, so she must be fine!" Ash winked. He felt guilty for lying to the young man, especially since Ash was highly experienced in what would happen when a lie went wrong. Fortunately, Justin began to laugh along with Ash, and the older male suddenly felt surer of himself.

"That's good to hear. So, you said you needed me to watch the twins?"

"Yeah. They should be down soon, they're just getting dressed."

"Is Misty down here?" Justin inquired, suddenly seeming a little anxious.

"She's sitting at the kitchen table," Ash nodded. He wasn't sure if asking the next question was such a good idea, what with Misty being in her current state and all, but Ash liked Justin too much to leave him in the dark. "Do you want to see her?"

"If she would be okay with it," Justin blushed slightly, worried that Misty would get upset with him.

"Don't get freaked out," Ash chuckled as soon as he took notice of Justin's newly tense state. "The only person here that Misty would potentially kill is me, so you have nothing to worry about."

Justin smiled slowly and followed Ash into the house. As soon as the two entered the kitchen, Misty whipped around, having heard the footsteps. Her eyes were narrowed in an intense glare at first, but as soon as she set those emerald orbs on Justin, her expression softened and the redness in her cheeks began to disappear.

"Justin?" Misty asked, almost in disbelief.

"The very same," Justin laughed, nervously wringing his hands together. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"Huh?" Misty turned her head towards Ash, her face once again reflecting a hostile emotion. Ash nodded, a motion that encouraged Misty to just go with it. "Uh…yeah, I am."

"That's good," Justin smiled at his gym leader boss. "So, do you think you're going to go back to battling soon?"

"What's the point?" Misty sighed, suddenly sounding extremely dejected. "I'm pretty much seven months pregnant; I'm fat and useless. Who wants to battle me?"

Ash's eyes widened. He was used to Misty being self deprecating towards herself when she was pregnant, but she usually didn't seem to hate herself _this _much. Shifting his eyes over towards Justin, Ash saw that the young assistant looked alarmed.

_Misty's freaking the poor kid out, _Ash groaned inwardly. _He probably thinks she's going insane._

"Misty, sweetheart, don't say that," Ash broke in, trying to save Justin from the deed. "There are young trainers out there just waiting for their cascade badges! Besides, you have plenty of fight left in you."

"No I don't," Misty objected, lowering her eyes in pure dejection.

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by a high pitched, and rather terrified, shriek.

"What the hell was that?" Ash muttered, looking around in different directions. Misty was looking up now, her eyes a little more clear and her expression a little more concerned. Justin, meanwhile, just looked bewildered.

Pikachu came darting down the stairs, his beady black eyes narrowed in annoyance. He stopped right in front of Ash and glared up at his trainer, ears and tails twitching angrily.

"Pikachu, what's going on up there?" Ash folded his arms. Misty was already disgruntled with him, so the last thing Ash needed was for his _Pokémon _to be disconcerted with him as well.

"Pipikachu, pipika!" Pikachu spat out.

"What about Michelle and Aiden?"

"Pika pikachu. Pipika pi pikachu pipikachu."

"Do you actually understand what Pikachu is saying?" Justin asked Ash.

"Of course, we've been friends for 17 years," Ash smirked at the young man.

"So, what did he just say about Aiden and Michelle?"

"Apparently, they're fighting," Ash tilted his head, "because Michelle did something to Aiden."

"Pikachu, what are those two doing up there?" Misty demanded, sounding rather aggravated. Ash knew Misty would never do anything bad to their children, but right about now, she didn't sound too pleased with them.

"Aiden, _stop!_"

"No! You're mean!"

Michelle came flying down the stairs, fully dressed. Aiden wasn't far behind, although he was still in pajamas. He was holding a toy fishing pole in hand, and was swinging it mercilessly at his twin sister with anger set in his bright russet eyes.

"HEY!" Ash screamed, his patience quickly waning. Michelle stopped first, causing Aiden to smash into her and fall onto his bottom, the toy rod slipping out of his grip. "Knock it off, you two!"

"Daddy, Michelle _jumped on me!_" Aiden stormed, rising to his feet.

"You told me to wake him up!" Michelle accused her father.

"I said _nicely_," Ash narrowed his eyes. "Jumping on him isn't nice, Michelle."

"He wouldn't wake up!" Michelle cried. "I poked him and called his name and everything! So I had to do it!"

"No you didn't!" Aiden barked.

"Yes I did!" Michelle retorted.

"No you didn't!

"Yes I did!"

"No…"

"THAT'S _ENOUGH!_" Misty stormed, smacking her hand against the table. Aiden and Michelle were both startled, gasping and hugging one another for protection. Ash and Justin both had their mouths hanging open, neither one expecting that kind of reaction from Misty. She was always so docile when it came to Aiden and Michelle, even when they were fighting.

"Pikachupi…" Pikachu murmured, blinking in both shock and amazement.

As Misty continued to glare at Aiden and Michelle, both children started to tremble and cry from their mother's outburst, and it was at this point that Misty realized just what she'd done. She had _never _yelled at either of them like that! It was far too harsh, and she knew it.

"Oh, Aiden, Michelle, I'm so sorry!" Misty cried, getting to her feet as quickly as possible. "Please, don't cry!"

Misty's mark had already been left, however. Aiden and Michelle refused to hear her out, instead choosing to hurry back up the stairs, fearing that their mother would do something else horrible to them.

This reaction hurt Misty even more than the first one the twins had given her. Tears were beginning to flood her now dulled emerald eyes, and a deep pain filled her chest. Justin glanced towards Ash, silently wondering if he should do anything to help comfort the woman who was typically in charge of him.

"Uh…Justin, why don't you go see what Aiden and Michelle are up to?" Ash suggested. Justin finally closed his mouth and nodded wordlessly, walking up the steps to go check on the clearly frightened twins. The Pokémon master next turned his attention onto Misty, who was stuck in a full fledged crying fit. "Misty…"

"I…I _do_ have a problem!" Misty wailed, raising her hands to her eyes. "I yelled at my babies…and I _never _yell at them! They…they must _hate _me now! I'm…a terrible mother!"

"Misty, dear, you are _not _a terrible mother!" Ash pleaded with the sobbing red head, wrapping his strong arms around her. "Your hormones are a mess, it isn't your fault. And your still worked up from…" Ash trailed off, but decided to finish his statement, "from the whole Loki ordeal."

"Fix it," Misty wailed, raising her watery eyes to look at Ash. "H…help me, Ash."

"I'm going to try my best," Ash gave her a single nod. "That's why I called Justin over to watch Aiden and Michelle."

"W…why?"

"You and I are going out," Ash smiled softly at the still crying red head. "It'll kind of be like a date, I guess. I just want us to spend some time together. We both need it, you know."

Misty could only nod, no longer feeling able to speak. Ash sighed sadly and tucked a strand of stray hair behind Misty's ear before working on wiping away her fallen tears. Once the drops of water were cleared away, Ash grinned gently at his wife and leaned forward to press a kiss against her fair, damp cheek.

"Just relax sweetheart," Ash whispered against her skin. "We're going to have fun. And you're going to be okay."

**XXX**

A little known fact about Ash Ketchum, Pokémon master, was that he was a romantic.

No one would've believed that this formerly (and still at times, though not as badly) dense boy could've held a single romantic bone in his body. All he'd ever cared about was Pokémon and food. His training came first and his ultimate dream was to become the best trainer who'd ever lived.

Misty, whether she wanted to believe it or not, had changed all of that.

When he first realized he was in love with her, Ash would've stopped at nothing to get the water specialist's attention. He cared about her in a way that he had never before known you _could_ care for another human being. Misty was his whole world, and Ash just wanted her to feel well loved.

He was showing off this "secret side" of himself quite well at the moment. It was a warm June day, the hints of early summer blooming all around Cerulean City. Having lived here steadily for the past six years, Ash knew all of the spots that held good memories for Misty, and all of the places that could cheer her up.

There was one prime spot, however, and that was exactly where Ash was going to take Misty in an effort to raise her spirits. It was a little bit of a walk, and there was a sense of concern on Ash's part that a pregnant Misty wouldn't fair well on such a trek. She did get tired rather easily, after all, and she was _definitely _not quiet about her various ailments. So far, however, Misty seemed to be holding up quite well, although her lack of any conversation at all was bothering Ash to some extent. He wanted to hear her sweet voice.

Looking down at the grass that lined their current path, Ash smiled brightly as he caught sight of a patch of wild flowers. Now was the perfect time to bring out the charm; it would get Misty to open up a little more.

"Wait right here," Ash grabbed at Misty's wrist to stop her in her tracks. Misty did as Ash requested, but she was still confused by the command.

"Why?" Misty finally spoke, her eyes searching Ash for some kind of explanation.

"You'll see," Ash winked teasingly, a glint going off in his eye. He sprinted towards the flowers, leaving Misty only more bewildered.

Surveying the different colored blooms, Ash finally decided to just pick several of each color. Waltzing through the patch made him feel eerily like his five year old daughter, but Ash didn't mind so much. It made him feel free, like he didn't have a single care in the world. In a way, it was reminiscent of his childhood.

Once satisfied with his pickings, Ash strolled back over to Misty, who still had no clue as to why she had been left standing there by her seemingly insane husband.

"Well?" Misty pressed.

"I wanted to get you something," Ash smirked. "It's not something expensive and fancy, but they are beautiful, just like you."

"Ash…" Misty grumbled, although the blush that had been painted on her cheeks told a different story than her dark tone.

While her eyes were closed, Ash finished tying the stems of the flowers together and placed the crown on his wife's head, beaming lovingly at the sight he had just created.

"There," Ash stated cleanly. "Just perfect."

Misty raised her eyelids and rolled her eyes up, having felt whatever it was that Ash had put on her head. Catching a glimpse of the colorful tiara, Misty giggled quietly and glanced back at Ash, a familiar spark shining in her dark green eyes.

"You're so cute," Misty murmured, her blush decreasing slightly. It still remained present, however, and it was a fairly obvious accent.

"Thanks, I try," Ash reached one of his arms out and hooked it with Misty's. "Now, should we keep going?"

"Yes, we should," Misty smiled. This simple action was enough to warm Ash's heart like a sudden burst of fire. Because the smile that Misty was currently showing off was not sad, like they'd been for the past few days.

What graced her lips right now was a beautiful, genuine smile.

**XXX**

"Ash, are you ever going to tell me just _where_ we're going?"

"Mist, you still don't know?" Ash smirked as he looked over his shoulder. "I thought you definitely would've figured it out by now!"

"I haven't a clue," Misty shrugged. The baby began to kick, causing Misty to sigh and place a hand on her burgeoning stomach. "But I'm getting tired, and the baby is getting restless. Tell me it won't be much longer."

"Nah, we're almost there," Ash shook his head. Looking ahead, a huge grin broke out on his face and he turned around to face Misty. "It's right up ahead!"

Misty peered over Ash's figure, trying to decipher where the handsome man had dragged her to. It didn't take long for Misty to recognize her favorite destination, however, and once she made the connection, she squealed and clasped her hands together.

"Oh Ash, you took me to Cerulean Cape?"

"Yeah!" Ash's face lit up. "I know how much you like it here. I thought it would be a good place for us to just relax…and be alone."

"It's perfect!" Misty trilled, racing forward to grab Ash's fingerless gloved hand. Lingering for a few moments, Misty gripped his palm and continued quietly, "thank you, Ash."

"Don't mention it, angel," Ash shrugged before stroking her hair. Giggling airily, Misty yanked him forward, eager to settle on the grass in the warm, early summer sun.

It didn't take long for Misty to find what she deemed to be a perfect spot, and with the smile remaining on her face, she pulled Ash down with her in order to sit.

"You've got quite a bit of energy all of a sudden," Ash smirked at his wife, who was leaning over the edge of the cape in order to look into the bright blue ocean that flowed down below.

"I love it here," Misty murmured, her smile broadening. "I know it's a good date spot, but when I was younger, I used to come out here when I wanted to be alone."

"Which I imagine was quite often?" Ash asked softly. Misty nodded wordlessly, her expression barely changing. Ash knew that Misty had not had the ideal childhood; it was lonely, alienating, and empty. He assumed that was the main reason why Misty was such a good mother. She wanted to make sure their children had the wholesome kind of childhood she never had a chance of.

"It's peaceful here," Misty finally spoke, her eyes scanning the whole area. "No one to bother you."

The couple were silent for a few minutes. Finally, Misty let out a sigh that was part peaceful, part exasperated, and rolled over onto her back. Ash watched the beautiful woman with concentrated interest, and eventually joined her by laying on his own back and staring up into the clouds with her.

"I see a heart," Ash murmured.

"Huh?" Misty blinked, turning her head towards Ash. "What do you mean?"

"Up there," Ash raised an arm and pointed up towards the clouds. "I see a heart in the sky."

"Oh," Misty breathed, understanding what Ash was saying. Laughing, she looked back up and began to carefully study each and every cloud. Finding a good one, she pointed at her chosen target the way Ash had, and called out, "that one looks like a Gyrados!"

Ash chuckled and pulled his hands behind his head, resting on his palms. "You _would _find one shaped like a water type, huh Mist?"

"One of my _favorite _water types," Misty winked at him.

"Well, if we're gonna play it that way…" Ash trailed off as he tried to find a cloud that would one up Misty's seemingly perfect find. Letting out a short laugh, Ash gently tilted Misty's head towards another cloud and asked, "Doesn't this one look like the cascade badge?"

"Yeah, I can see that…" Misty beamed, setting her eyes on the fluffy white cloud that was seemingly shaped like a water drop.

Ash grinned boldly to himself. Misty _definitely _seemed happier, and that was all Ash could've asked for. Seeing his wife so sad and miserable was tearing Ash apart, but now they were laying side by side, staring up into the clouds and laughing like they were kids again. There was still _one _thing different from when they were kids, however. And that was an action Ash wouldn't have dared to take before the age of sixteen.

He turned onto his side, gazing at Misty's face with a look of both love and lust. She finally felt his eyes on her, and she looked into the bright russet orbs, giggling girlishly at the look he was giving her.

"What?" Misty asked sweetly.

Ash inched closer to Misty and placed his hand on her knee, moving it all the way up her leg, onto her swollen stomach, to her shoulder, and finally to rest on her lightly blushing cheek. Ash decided now was the perfect time to make his move. He leaned in, ready to kiss Misty on her soft, pink lips. Misty closed her eyes and waited for the moment, but as soon as Ash's lips brushed against hers, only one image flashed through Misty's eyes.

Loki. Trying to kiss her.

Misty gasped sharply as her eyes snapped open and she pulled away as quickly as possible. Ash looked alarmed by her sudden movement, but none the less tried to kiss her again. Misty began to breathe heavily, her heart pounding as Ash moved in closer. She _knew _it was Ash, and that he loved her and would never hurt her, but all Misty could see was Loki.

"No!" Misty cried when their lips touched again. She turned her head away as quickly as possible, trembling as Ash backed off once more.

"Misty?" Ash questioned softly. He reached out to touch her arm, and as soon as their skin made contact, Misty flinched and let out a whimper. "Misty…"

"I…I'm sorry," Misty stammered. "I…I can't…"

Ash breathed out heavily and felt his shoulders sag. He had been _so _close. So close to completely freeing Misty from her pain.

Now, it seemed he couldn't be further away.

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't just leave Misty all "everything is okay now!" after some guy kidnapped her and her children, and was hitting on her without a care in the world while at the same time threatening the life of her baby. That's pretty stressful, so she had to have some kind of reprecution, no?<strong>

**So now, Ash is going to have to work even harder to gain Misty's trust. What will he do? You'll find out next time :)**

**Got lots of great reviews last chapter; you guys all rock! I'd really love to see this story get to 200 reviews, maybe even more than it's prior story! Whoever gets the 200th review gets a chapter dedicated to them! I think it'll still take awhile to get to 200, but just thought I'd announce that little prize :P**

**So, what are you still doing reading my boring author's notes? Go leave a review, voice your opinon, and tell me what's up!**


	21. A Comforting Confrontation

**Update update update.**

**Yes, I have midterms this week. But...studying for them is so boring. If I have to read about anymore political parties or anything about the government...I'm going to lose it. That's why I lose my focus and start writing instead. It's more fun :P **

**This one isn't as long as the last chapter, but it's still a good one. We left off with Misty's fear of kissing. Why? Because of Loki, of course! Guy's a complete pain even when he's dead. So how will Ash fix it? Let's find out!**

* * *

><p>Kick.<p>

"Mmm…"

Kick.

"Misty, quit it…"

Kick.

Ash groaned and sat up, rubbing at his tired eyes. He could feel his hair sticking up every which way, but for now that was the least of his concerns. It's not like Ash usually bothered himself with how his hair looked anyway. Glancing down at the sleeping figure of his wife, Ash frowned when he noticed her eyebrow and mouth twitching and her legs flailing right next to him.

It was true that Misty had a habit of kicking Ash in her sleep from time to time, even more so when she was pregnant. But lately, it had been happening every night, and quite consistently as well. It was getting so bad that Ash had actually found _bruises_ on his leg the previous morning. He felt bad, but Ash knew he couldn't go through the rest of the night dealing with this. So, gathering up his pillow and a blanket from the end of the bed, Ash got up and walked over to Misty's side, kissing her on the cheek. She stirred slightly, but otherwise showed absolutely no sign of waking up. Frowning, Ash turned around and walked out the door, moving down the stairs towards the living room couch.

As he set up his make shift bed, Ash's gloomy expression remained on his face. He could only kiss Misty when she was asleep, because otherwise she would become startled and start freaking out. It had been a few days since the first incident, and Ash still had yet to figure out why Misty was getting so upset by this simple, and sweet, action. In addition to this strange kissing aversion, Misty still seemed to be having trust issues, only finding solace in their two young children.

Settling himself down on the couch, Ash was still finding it difficult to sleep. He couldn't close his eyes, instead staring at the ceiling like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. There were a lot of thoughts running through his head, and Ash couldn't get any of them to stop.

"Pikapi?"

Ash turned his head and found Pikachu standing on the floor, a curious look on the electric type's face.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash greeted quietly. "Did I wake you up?"

"Pi," Pikachu shook his head before jumping onto the couch and curling up on Ash's pillow besides the trainer's head. "Pikachu, pikapi?"

"I don't really know _what_ I'm thinking, Pikachu," Ash sighed. "A lot of things at once, I guess."

"Pika pikachupi?"

"Yeah, about Misty."

"Pika pi."

"I know she's sad."

"Ka…"

Ash shifted his eyes to the side, choosing to look up at another section of the ceiling. He was moving between all of his different thoughts, and currently he was on the subject of Misty's birthday. It was in about two weeks, and Ash wasn't sure what he was going to do. He kept asking Misty if there was anything special she wanted, and her only response would be to shake her head. Ash wanted to do something that would make Misty happy, but he wasn't so sure that such a thing existed at this point.

_Misty only wants to be with Aiden and Michelle at the moment,_ Ash thought, _and she cares deeply about the baby. But she doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. Did I do something wrong?_

Ash tilted his head back to lock his eyes on Pikachu. His partner was already fast asleep and snoring, which caused Ash to roll those very same russet eyes.

_Wait! _Ash suddenly realized, returning to his thoughts. _Misty cares deeply about the baby! So if I give her something that has to do with the baby, it might cheer her up! And I think I know the perfect gift…_

**XXX**

Misty hated herself.

How could she ever be turned off by her own husband? It wasn't her fault, and somewhere deep down, she _knew _that. It was all Loki's fault; the filthy man trying to have his way with her. It had traumatized her, in a sense.

That was the truth. But Misty couldn't help but to feel responsible for denying Ash.

Maybe it was because she hadn't told him about Loki's actions. While Ash was aware that Loki had gained romantic interest in his wife, Misty had kept quiet about the kiss she and the silver haired menace had shared. She was afraid that Ash would become upset with her, and feel like he had been cheated on. Misty hadn't liked the kiss at all, and it was mostly one sided since she didn't kiss back. But Ash was a very emotional person, and Misty feared a hasty reaction from the Pokémon master.

Already she feared that Ash was having issues with her. She had woken up in bed alone that morning, after all. Ash had told her that recently she'd been kicking him more often and much harder than usual, and Misty knew it was from the stress. She didn't dare tell him that, however.

_I'm an idiot, _Misty lashed out at herself inwardly, burying her face in her hands.

"Misty!"

The red head jumped, the sudden voice breaking her out of her deep thoughts. She looked to the side and found Justin standing in the doorway of the battle room, blinking his hazel eyes as he carefully studied the slumping figure of the red headed gym leader.

"Hi Justin," Misty greeted quietly before looking back towards the pool, her green eyes carefully studying the calm blue water.

"Are you alright?" Justin inquired as he moved further into the room. "You look awfully pale."

"I'm fine," Misty shrugged, her expression unchanging.

Justin wasn't convinced. It was strange to see Misty just sitting in the bleachers. This room was Misty's sanctuary. In here, she trained, battled against other trainers, swam…everything that made her happy and defined her life and title. Now, she just seemed miserable and rather ill.

"I thought you said you were going to train," Justin continued. "You haven't worked your Pokémon out in quite awhile. And the battles you've had as of late…"

"They've been terrible, I know," Misty cut her young assistant off.

"So why don't we have a practice battle?" Justin suggested with a delicate smile. "We can take it nice and slow!"

"Justin, I don't want to battle," Misty growled.

"But Misty…"

"Can we just drop it?" Misty seethed, her face flushing even further. "I'm in no mood to battle! I don't even want to be _in_ here! All I want to do is spend time with Aiden and Michelle, and they're _still_ freaked out from when I got upset with them! I'm a horrible mother and no one even cares!"

"Oh, Misty, don't say that…" Justin locked his hands together, trying to reason with the woman the way Ash usually did. "They love you! I'm sure of it."

"I'm not," Misty moaned as she leaned back, closing her eyes as she whimpered quietly.

"Misty?" Justin took a cautious step forward. The gym leader moaned again, this time more quietly than the first. She slumped even more, her eyes closing, until she nearly fell off the bleachers.

Now Justin knew that something was _really _wrong. He broke out into a sprint, running up the stairs of the bleachers in order to grab Misty before she fell onto the floor. Breathing heavily, Justin held Misty in his arms and gently touched her face.

"Misty…are you okay?" Justin trembled as he spoke to the gym leader. She mumbled incoherently in response, which at least assured Justin that she wasn't unconscious.

Unsure of what to do, Justin reached for his cell phone and found Ash's number, knowing that he would be the only person who could help him. Holding the device to his ear, Justin waited with bated breath for Ash to pick up. Another whine escaped Misty's lips, causing Justin to hold her more closely.

"You'll be fine, Misty," Justin whispered, "I promise. I'm calling Ash. He's going to help."

Biting his lip, Justin's heart began to pound slightly when he heard Ash's voice at the end of the other line.

"_Justin? What's up?"_

"Ash! I need you to come into the gym right away."

"_Can't it wait? I'm about to leave for work and…"_

"It can't wait," Justin spat out hurriedly. "Something is wrong with Misty!"

"_What?" _Ash shrieked, panic clear in his tone. _"What happened? Is she sick?"_

"I…I really don't know," Justin fretted. "She's not unconscious…maybe she's lightheaded, I don't know. She just kind of fell backwards and can't really speak…but I know that she's conscious."

"_Alright, I'll be right there. Are you in the battle area?"_

"Yes…please hurry."

The connection ended, and as Justin was putting his phone back in his pocket, Misty's eyes began to slowly slip open, although her face remained colorless.

"Are you okay Misty?" Justin inquired. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Misty's lips quivered, but no sound came out. Justin's body grew more rigid as he clutched Misty, wanting to protect the beautiful woman more than anything in the world. He knew if he didn't, Ash would kill him. Besides, Justin viewed Misty as his friend, and she really did mean a lot to him.

"Justin!"

The brown haired young man tore his eyes away from Misty's limp figure. He caught sight of Ash running towards them, Pikachu gripping desperately onto his trainer's shoulder for fear of flying off.

"Wow Ash, that really was fast," Justin blinked.

"Of course, we only live right next door," Ash smiled weakly at the young assistant once he had reached the bleachers. "And I'll run twice as fast if I know that something is wrong with Misty." His voice wavered at the end, and his eyes lowered to his weakened wife. Ash kneeled down and gently touched his wife's pallid cheek, concern written all over his handsome face.

Misty turned her head towards Ash and opened her eyes fully this time. She saw how scared he looked: his sadly glimmering eyes and mouth bent into a definitive frown. This only made Misty feel even worse. She was keeping this awful, horrible secret, and Ash had no idea, and it was hurting all of them.

Almost immediately, Misty began sobbing, which startled both Justin and Ash. Wanting to help, Ash reached out and took Misty from Justin's arms, holding her up so they were face to face. He studied her tear streaked face for a few moments, trying to figure out why exactly she was crying. When Ash couldn't come up with anything, he held Misty more tightly and asked quietly, "what in the world happened to you, Misty?"

"I…I got…lightheaded," Misty stammered, finally finding her voice.

"Do you have any idea why?" Ash continued. "Do you feel sick?"

"N…no," Misty shook her head. The guilt was eating her alive, and she couldn't keep it a secret anymore. "I…I know why."

"Do you want to tell me?" Ash's breath hitched. He had tried this tactic with her _so _any times before, and it rarely ever worked. All he could do was silently hope that this time, Misty would be willing to work with him.

"Y…yes…" Misty murmured. Ash smiled encouragingly at her, relieved that she was finally willing to speak to him about her troubles. "But…not here."

"Huh? Why not, Mist?"

"I…I want to rest," Misty closed her eyes. "Let me tell you in the house. Please."

"Sure, no problem," Ash was still puzzled by Misty's behavior, but he wasn't about to question it. Gathering Misty up bridal style, Ash carried her all the way from the gym back to the house, where he ascended the stairs and settled Misty in their bed, covering her legs with the sheets and gently patting her stomach.

A few strands of hair fell in front of Misty's face, and she slowly raised her hand to tuck them behind her ear. Ash examined her heartrending and thoughtful face for a few moments before sighing and gently tickling the side of her belly, causing Misty to laugh reluctantly.

"Are you ready to tell me yet?" Ash asked quietly. Misty stopped laughing and her cheeks turned bright red, suddenly realizing that she'd been backed into a corner. Ash remained in the same position, with the same expression, and the same silent impatience.

Misty opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked down in shame, her fingers toying nervously with one another as she held her breath.

"This has to do with the whole kissing thing, doesn't it?" Ash breathed. Misty raised her head slowly, her eyes wide in shock. Ash licked his lips and pressed again, "Doesn't it?"

Misty remained quiet for a little while longer before answering with a small and barely audible, "yes."

"Please…tell me," Ash begged, his russet eyes shining sadly. "Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong?" Tears began to escape from Misty's eyes, causing Ash himself to begin tearing up. Taking her delicate hands into his strong ones, Ash continued, "Tell me, Misty. Because if it is…if I messed up in any way…I want to fix it. I don't want things to be bad between us. I love you too much, Mist."

"It's not your fault!" Misty sobbed, tearing her hands away from Ash so she could wrap her arms around herself. Ash pulled back, surprised by Misty's sudden yelp. "It was…it was never your fault, Ash. I…I lied to you. Well, I didn't really lie, I guess, because I never said anything. But…I should've! I should've told you everything, but I was afraid you would get upset, and never want to look at me again, or be with me anymore, and our poor children would…they would just…"

"Misty, Misty, calm down!" Ash soothed, grabbing his wife's shoulders. The red head heaved loudly for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath. Ash rubbed up and down her arms, waiting for Misty to relax. Once her breathing pattern returned to normal, Misty nodded and decided to continue her explanation.

"It…it has to do with Loki."

Ash felt a surge of anger rise in his body, but he quickly pushed it back down, knowing that he would only be verifying Misty's concerns by releasing it. Trembling slightly, Ash glanced up and inquired, "what about him? What did he do to you, Misty?"

"He…kissed me," Misty answered quietly. Ash closed his eyes and let out a long breath. This reaction brought Misty's stress level up again, and she began to frantically plead, "I didn't want to, Ash! Believe me, I didn't want to! I never saw it coming! I was yelling at him, because he was hitting on me, and out of nowhere he just _kissed _me! And it was rough and angry and it felt so wrong because it wasn't you! He made me feel so awful! I felt like I had cheated on you, even though I didn't want to kiss him! And I never kissed him back, Ash! I pushed him away! Please…please don't hate me…"

She started crying again, although not as erratically as before. It was just as loud, however, and the despair was evident in Misty's heavy sobs. Ash, meanwhile, sat in complete silence, his only thoughts being that he wanted to murder Loki with his bare hands.

But he couldn't. The man was already dead.

So this left Misty. Ash raised his head and examined her figure. Her trembling body, the tears rolling down her red cheeks. His wife was hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. She had been hurt more deeply by that cruel man more so than Ash had originally thought. And now she was afraid of betrayal from the man that she truly loved and trusted: him.

Pursing his lips, Ash shuffled closer to Misty until their noses were touching. Misty gasped softly and looked up, the tears spilling out of her eyes like a waterfall. Ash chuckled softly despite himself.

"Don't cry now," Ash soothed huskily as he wiped those dreaded tears away. "You know I hate to see you cry."

It was stupid, she knew, but Misty responded with a simple nod. She knew all too well that Ash couldn't stand the sight of her tears.

With their noses still in contact, Ash released a soft breath that tickled Misty's lips. Smiling gently, Ash continued, "I could never hate you. And I don't feel betrayed. Loki was a bad, bad man. We both know that. But…we also know he got what he deserved. He's dead now. He'll never bother any of us again. Yes, it was completely wrong and inappropriate of him to kiss you. I can only imagine how much that must of hurt you. But you have to remember that I am _nothing _like that vile creature. I would never think of hurting you. Not ever. When I kiss you…what we have is _real_. I love you more than life itself. As my wife, as the mother of my children, as my best friend…you're my everything."

Misty's breath caught in her throat. She stared directly into Ash's chocolate eyes, and him into her emerald ones. At that moment, something connected, and all of a sudden, Misty didn't feel so alone.

The pain Loki had inflicted on her, the trauma…Misty could feel it all melting away.

Instinctively, Ash began to lean forward, his eyes closing and his breath growing shallow. Misty flinched for just a split second before remembering that she no longer had to be afraid. This was Ash, and she was safe. This still didn't make Misty eager to lean forward, however. She simply sat there, waiting for Ash to reach her lips. She wanted to take this one step at a time.

After what felt like an eternity, Ash's lips brushed against Misty's own. She let out a shuttered breath, but didn't recoil this time. Ash took her lower lip and began to kiss her gently. Misty dug her nails into her palm and finally closed her eyes, relaxing her body as she accepted the kiss.

Feeling that she was more comfortable, Ash deepened it slightly, resting his hand on Misty's lower back for support. Misty let out an involuntary moan and returned the vigor, raising her arms in order to wrap them around Ash's neck.

After that, things started moving way too quickly for either Ash or Misty to even remember when it began. Ash had snuck his hand underneath the back of Misty's shirt so he was touching the smooth skin of her back. Misty, meanwhile, was pulling desperately at Ash's collar, trying to get his mouth as close to hers as possible. Twisting his hand around, Ash pulled Misty's shirt up so her bulging stomach was fully exposed. He chuckled at this, which gave Misty the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth. Ash didn't mind in the slightest. He trailed his hand from her back, onto her side, and finally onto her belly, which he loved so much. Ash rubbed and caressed the fairly huge bump, trying to see if he could wake up the baby inside.

Growling in a quiet and playful manner, Misty wrapped her legs around Ash's hips and managed to flip him over. The dark haired man cried out in surprise, to which Misty smirked mischievously as she settled herself on top of him.

"You…you still have the energy to do that?" Ash puffed.

"No," Misty finally admitted, letting out a tired laugh as she fell onto Ash, landing on her side to ensure she wouldn't hit her belly.

"You're cute," Ash laughed, nuzzling his nose into the side of Misty's head. She hummed knowingly and turned her head so they could lock lips again.

"I thought you had to go to work," Misty teased once they separated.

"Oh yeah," Ash clicked his tongue afterwards as if just remembering this little task. "Oh well. They can wait." Gazing at Misty yet again, Ash prompted, "so, do you feel better now?"

"Yes, very much," Misty blushed slightly. "Thank you, Ash."

"Don't mention it," Ash embraced Misty and pressed their cheeks together, Misty's gentle blush lightly burning Ash's skin. "It was nothing."

**XXX**

"Ash, are you keeping a secret from me?"

The Pokémon master turned around and stared his wife down innocently. She didn't seem as sweet natured, however. By no means was Misty angry, but she was beginning to look a little flustered with Ash's recent behavior.

"What do you mean, angel? Why would I be keeping a secret from you?"

"Because, for the past week and a half, you've been acting so sneaky," Misty narrowed her eyes slightly. "You spend all of your free time up here in the extra guest bedroom. Not to mention, you lock the door so I can't even get in."

"It's nothing Mist," Ash shook his hand in a non chalant manner. "Just a little…something I'm working on."

"Like what?" Misty folded her arms. Ash now seemed to be at a loss for words, and Misty knew she had her husband right where she wanted him. "If it's not such a big deal, you can tell me what you're working on in there, right?"

"Uh…yeah…I can…" Ash stammered. Misty had the satisfaction of victory written all over her face, and the last thing Ash wanted was for Misty to feel as if she'd won this little…well, he wasn't sure what exactly to call this. It wasn't an argument, but it wasn't a conversation either.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"It's a room for me," Ash blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. The devious look on Misty's face soon melted into an expression of bewilderment. In fact, she looked almost crestfallen. Noticing this, Ash grinned and continued more confidently, "It's a Pokémon master's longue."

"What in the world is that?" Misty's shoulders slumped.

"A place for me to go to," Ash elucidated as if he was well versed on the idea. "You know, for peace and quiet. That sort of stuff."

"Oh. Alright then," Misty frowned.

"Don't be upset sweetheart," Ash leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his wife's forehead. "I promise that once it's done, you can see it!"

"Sounds exciting," Misty tried to laugh, although her voice failed her.

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence following that. The quiet was ultimately broken by a fairly loud rumbling of one's stomach. Ash blinked, thinking it was him for a split second. Upon seeing the blush that was gracing his wife's face, however, Ash was aware that it was _her _belly that had made the noise.

"Someone is hungry," Ash trilled. Toying with Misty's bangs, he inquired, "is it you or our little baby girl?"

"It's her," Misty answered quickly. She waited a few seconds before adding, "And me. A little."

Ash chuckled and placed his hands on the sides of her tummy. Surprisingly enough, it had gotten significantly larger over the past week and a half. Sometimes, Ash wondered if it really was just _one_ baby.

"Well, you should go eat," Ash smiled encouragingly at his wife. "I don't want the baby to go hungry, after all."

"Don't worry, she won't," Misty smirked as she turned around to walk towards the stairs. "She already makes me eat all day anyway."

Ash waited until he was one hundred percent sure that Misty was gone. With the coast clear, he hurried back into the guest room and quickly closed the door, locking it and leaning against the wooden barrier as he let out a tired sigh.

"Misty giving you trouble?"

Ash looked down at Tracey, who was busy drawing bubbles onto the newly painted walls. Aiden and Michelle were sitting in a nearby corner, playing with some stuffed Pokémon that Ash had bought for the room.

"Yeah," Ash furrowed his brow, "how did you know?"

"Just a guess," Tracey chuckled.

"She wants to know what I've been up to," Ash ran a hand through his dark hair. "I almost told her too."

"No Daddy!" Michelle scolded, her emerald eyes blazing with anger.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I didn't," Ash held his hand out in front of himself for protection. It was almost a natural reflex at this point. Michelle was often too much like Misty for comfort. "I made something up and she believed me."

"Good," Michelle finished simply before returning to playtime with her brother.

"It looks good so far," Ash placed his hands on his hips as his eyes scanned his current project. "Do you think Misty will like it?"

"I think Mommy will love it!" Aiden beamed. "It has all of her favorites."

"I hope you're right, little buddy," Ash laughed kindly.

Ash figured at this point, he could do no wrong. He had solved Misty's problem, and everything in their lives had gone back to normal. Now, nothing could destroy them.

* * *

><p><strong>See? Not as long, but still sweet. Ash would really do anything for Misty, I would think.<strong>

**So, what do you all think is Ash's big surprise for Misty? It's probably obvious...but I want to know anyway :P It will be revealed next chapter! But until then, leave your guesses in a review. I'm curious ;)**

**Now, enough of me. I have to go back to studying so I don't fail my test! At least it's my last one of the week. Then it's back to writing! Keep up with the awesome reviews and feedback! It's really awesome you guys; I appreciate it!**


	22. The Greatest Gift of All

**I'm a terrible person. Kind of.**

**This chapter is really, really long. But it's all fluff. Literally: all fluff. The entire chapter is about Misty's birthday. I did not even know it was possible to write 5,000 words about a character's _birthday. _But I did it. So...there you go.**

**But, I think at this point, if you guys didn't like fluff, you would've stopped reading this story already :P So I hope you enjoy this really incredibly descriptive chapter about Misty's birthday and Ash's big surprise for her. Enjoy :P**

* * *

><p>"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!"<p>

Misty groaned and covered her still closed eyes with her hand. She didn't want to wake up. Not yet. She was tired. This was the stage of pregnancy were Misty was completely exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep all day. It's not like she could get much sleep anyway. Her bladder was currently being used as a trampoline by her and Ash's unborn daughter, so Misty had to get up about every half hour to go to the bathroom. In addition, sleep seemed to be a foreign concept to the baby. She bounced and kicked all day and night, rarely ever stopping. It was making Misty quite sore and agitated.

"Come on Mommy, wake up!" Michelle chirped. Misty knew it was her daughter just by the high pitched, airy voice that had uttered the innocent demand. Misty could only respond with a groan, however.

"Mommy…" Aiden whined, grabbing at his mother's hand and pulling it away from her eyes. Misty whimpered again and squeezed her eyelids shut even more tightly. Leave it up to her children to be just as intrusive as their father!

"Guys…" Misty finally managed to speak, "Mommy is very, _very _tired. It would be such a nice present if you two let me sleep some more…"

"But Daddy told us to wake you up," Michelle complained.

"Of course he did," Misty muttered. She turned her head and opened her eyes in a huff, ready to murder her husband. She didn't even care if Aiden and Michelle were there to watch. It was unacceptable that Ash didn't understand how much an 8 months pregnant woman needed her rest.

But her eyes didn't lock on Ash. In fact, the space next to her was vacant.

"Huh?" Misty blinked.

"Daddy isn't here," Michelle commented. She jumped over to her father's side of the bed, bouncing her mother as she took the leap. Misty gasped sharply and pressed a hand against her swollen midsection, once again closing her eyes. This time, it was not out of fatigue, however. It was out of annoyance.

Michelle seemed to pick up on this, as she let out a soft whimper and reached out to grab onto her mother's wrist. "I'm sorry Mommy! I didn't mean to! Are you hurt?"

"No…I'm alright," Misty sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. "You just need to be a little more careful, okay sweetheart?"

"Yes Mommy," Michelle still looked rather guilty about her actions.

"Where _did _your Daddy go?" Misty asked as she opened her eyes and finally forced herself to sit up. It was with a significant amount of difficulty, and the seemingly simple act managed to drain Misty of any remaining energy she had. Grunting, she leaned against the headboard and dragged a hand through her tangled red locks.

"He went downstairs for somethin'," Aiden smirked, laying down and settling his elbows on his mother's legs. Misty giggled airily and stroked Aiden's head, to which he cooed quietly and rested his cheek on the side of her enormous belly. "When's the baby comin' out?"

"Just a little over a month," Misty smiled at the young boy. _If we're lucky…_

"That's not so long," Aiden mused.

"No, it isn't!" Misty agreed.

"Hi Daddy!" Michelle suddenly chirped, lifting her head up from where it had been perched in her folded arms. Misty looked towards the door, where Ash was standing in the doorframe with a mischievous little smirk on his face.

"Are you up to no good?" Misty teased.

"Who said that?" Ash inquired playfully as he folded his arms.

"No one," Misty playfully stuck her tongue out. "The look on your face says it all."

"Hmm, that's strange," Ash scrunched his nose up. "I can't really see what my face is doing. Unless I look in a mirror I guess. I didn't know it did weird stuff like that!"

He walked into the room, right over to his side of the bed. Michelle looked up at him with the cutest face she could pull, sitting up on her knees and batting her long, soft eyelashes at her father.

"Hi Daddy," Michelle repeated.

"Hi princess," Ash placed his hands on his hips. In a lighthearted tone, he continued, "what are you doing in my spot, huh?"

"Keeping Mommy company," Michelle placed her hands by her sides. "You weren't here, Daddy!"

"Well, I'm here now," Ash chuckled.

"Too bad," Michelle giggled as she threw herself down on her back. Smirking, Ash climbed onto the bed and grabbed a hold of his little girl, flipping her upside down so her bright red hair hung down like a curtain. Michelle shrieked in delight before roaring with laughter and kicking her legs, Ash tilting his head to either side so she wouldn't hit him in the face.

"Ash, be careful with her," Misty warned, her heart beginning to beat more quickly.

"You always tell me that when I play around with these two," Ash motioned his head towards Aiden, who was still settled on his mother's legs. "And have I ever hurt them?"

"No…" Misty blushed, "I just get nervous is all."

"I know you do, sweetheart," Ash smiled. He turned Michelle right side up, and she began to relax, her laughter dying down as the blood drained from her bright red face. Turning his daughter around so they were face to face, Ash touched their noses together and asked, "you're okay, right baby girl?"

"Yes Daddy," Michelle reached out her arms and wrapped them around her father's neck, giving him a tight and adoring hug.

"Ack…Mi…Michelle…" Ash gasped, patting the child's back, "I…love you too…but…you're…choking me…"

"Oops," Michelle lowered her arms. "Sorry Daddy."

"It's just fine, baby!" Ash engulfed the girl in his own hug, causing her to giggle yet again.

"Daddy, I want to give Mommy her presents!" Aiden suddenly called out. Ash looked over Michelle's head and grinned at the boy, who had a look of excitement on his young face.

"We should, now, shouldn't we?" Ash agreed.

"Let me get Mommy's present, Daddy!" Michelle squealed, gently hitting her father's shoulder. Ash laughed and put his daughter down on the bed, leading the little red head to quickly slide off onto the floor and run out into the hallway.

"Aiden, isn't that present from both you _and_ Shelly?" Ash inquired.

"Yeah," the little boy squeaked innocently.

"Why don't you go and help your sister?"

"She can get it on her own."

"Aiden," Ash smirked and playfully stared down his young son. Aiden laughed joyfully and flew off the bed, racing down the hallway in order to assist his twin before she was able to get the present on her own.

"Alright," Misty turned her head towards Ash and gave him a playful little glare. "What's the _real _reason you sent Aiden away, hmm?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Ash chuckled huskily. "I didn't get to give you a proper happy birthday."

"A proper happy birthday?" Misty repeated, a little glint going off in her bright, jewel toned eyes. "I thought you were saving that for tonight."

"I am," Ash groaned before letting out a short laugh. "I wanted to give you something different now."

"And what would that be?" Misty arched a slender eyebrow.

Without speaking another word, Ash lunged forward and pressed his lips against Misty's. She moaned in pleasure and closed her eyes, happy to return her husband's fervent action. She was so happy to be married to such a sweet and loving guy. Ash held her a little closer to his body while bringing themselves down closer to the bed. He moved his own body to the side, not wanting to lie down on his wife's precious belly. It was big and well filled out, but so was he, and the last thing Ash wanted to do was crush his unborn daughter.

Misty smiled against Ash's lips, appreciating that simple action. She reached her arm towards her back and grabbed one of Ash's hands, which had been firmly pressed against her back. Intertwining their fingers, she moved his hand over to the side of her belly. He laughed and flattened his hand out against the bump, rubbing soothing circles against her large stomach. Misty sighed and finally separated her mouth from Ash's so she could regain her breath. She kept her hand on top of his, however, and moved it along with his own.

"How does it feel to be old?" Ash teased as he pressed his forehead against Misty's.

"I don't know, I'm the same age as you now, so you tell me," Misty smirked mischievously.

"Nice one, Mist."

"Thanks. I try."

Ash laughed and continued to rub Misty's belly, until something came in contact with his palm. Ash gasped softly and pulled his hand away, causing Misty to snicker delightfully.

"She woke up," Misty fluttered her eyelashes at the Pokémon master.

"Yeah, I could feel it," Ash blinked just once before chuckling.

"It's starting to hurt," Misty whined, placing a hand on her belly. Ash frowned and put his own hand back, gently massaging the impressive bump in an effort to get the baby to calm down, or at least comfort his wife.

"Come on baby girl," Ash murmured. "Relax. It's Mommy's birthday…we don't want to hurt her, right?"

Another kick connected, and Misty let out a quiet, "oof!"

"Baby," Ash frowned, now holding Misty's stomach with both hands.

"She isn't listening to you today," Misty giggled, but soon went back to wincing once the baby began to kick and move around nonstop. "I don't think she's happy."

"Me either," Ash agreed with a tiny smile. "Part of me is beginning to think that she's just hungry!"

"Yes, how shameful of me for not eating since two in the morning," Misty deadpanned as she poked her belly. "You, Daddy, and Aiden are going to be a disaster when it comes to food in this house."

"What about me and food, Mommy?"

Misty turned her head towards the door and found Aiden and Michelle standing in the doorframe, both of them holding onto a poorly wrapped gift.

"Oh, nothing sweetheart," Misty smiled sweetly. "Daddy and I were just talking about things. Is that my present?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle nodded feverously. "Open it!"

"Well, I can't open it until you bring it over here," Misty giggled. "Here, you two come back over, and I'll just get up…"

Misty pressed her hands against the mattress and tried to push herself up, but with little luck. The twins found this to be funny and giggled happily as they clambered up onto the bed. Misty wanted to laugh with them, if only to show that she was perfectly fine, but she was finding herself too frustrated to do such a thing.

"Here we go, sweetheart!" Ash trilled, lifting Misty up and sitting her in his folded lap. Right away, Misty realized that Ash wasn't able to pick her up as easily as usual. Her hormones began to rise, and suddenly, all Misty wanted to do was cry because of how fat she felt. Those silly thoughts melted away, however, as soon as Ash wrapped his arms around Misty's protruding belly and gently rocked her back and forth.

"Are you ready to open your present now, Mommy?" Aiden asked excitedly.

"Yes, I am," Misty held her hands out for the present, which Aiden and Michelle eagerly handed over.

"We hope you like it," Michelle stated in an almost shy manner.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll love it, sweetie!" Misty stroked the young girl's soft cheek. "I love anything that you and Aiden give to me."

She examined the gift for a few moments, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. The wrapping paper was bunched up in several places, and there was an excess amount of tape wrapped around the colorful, printed paper.

"We wrapped it ourselves!" Aiden beamed.

"Oh…I can see that…" Misty laughed nervously. The twins suddenly looked a little upset, so Misty quickly went to cover her tracks. "But you two did a great job!"

"Really?" Michelle clapped her hands together.

"Yes! You guys wrap presents even better than your Daddy does!" _That_ one wasn't a lie.

"Cool!" Aiden cheered.

Misty laughed and looked over her shoulder at Ash. He said nothing in response, but had a rather dejected look on his face. Misty cooed softly and kissed Ash on his nose, which led the Pokémon master to chuckle and break out of his playfully gloomy state.

"Oh, you're all distracting me!" Misty complained in a joking manner. "I have to open my present!"

"Yeah Daddy, stop talking!" Michelle narrowed her eyes and folded her little arms.

"How come I'm the one getting abused this morning?" Ash deadpanned. Pikachu, who had been sleeping silently on Ash's pillow the entire time, let out a little snicker, informing Ash that the electric mouse was now awake. "Oh sure, Pikachu. Wake up when I'm being ganged up on."

"Pikachu likes to sleep," Aiden giggled.

"Yeah, well that's because Pikachu isn't as young as he used to be," Ash smirked. The electric type raised his head and glared at Ash, who didn't look remotely sorry for calling his partner Pokémon old.

"Pika!" Pikachu bit before putting his head down again and twitching his ears in a displeased fashion.

"Ash, stop picking fights with Pikachu!" Misty scolded. "The poor thing just wants to sleep." Glaring at her husband, Misty continued rather tersely, "I understand how he feels."

"Uh…hehe…" Ash chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Mist, why don't you go ahead and open that present now, huh?"

"I think I will," Misty huffed. She began to tear away at the wrapping paper, although it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. All of the extra tape that Aiden and Michelle had used was basically forming an extra layer on the gift, and it was hard to break through. "Aiden, Michelle, how much tape did you use on this?"

"A whole roll!" Michelle chirped sweetly.

"The paper wouldn't stay on if we didn't," Aiden added.

Misty tried to use her nails to cut into the paper, and after a while, it seemed to do the trick. Thanks to the vitamins she was required to take for the baby, Misty's hair and nails were both growing like weeds. In this case, her longer nails were coming in handy.

With enough cuts made in the paper, Misty was finally able to tear the decorative wrapping off of her present and examine the gift. All she could see it was, however, was a large wooden rectangle that was painted in a light green.

"It's backwards, Mommy," Aiden piped up.

"Hmm?" Misty looked over at her little boy, and then back down at the present. "Oh. That would make sense! Thank you little buddy!" Misty turned the mysterious object around so it was facing the right way, but furrowed her brow when she realized she _still _couldn't see anything. At least now she knew why: her belly was in the way.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Michelle frowned.

"Nothing dear," Misty smiled. "I'm just…very big is all." Michelle only looked confused by this, causing Misty to giggle and gently tickle the girl's cheek. "You're so sweet, Shelly. Here, I can fix it…" She raised the wooden frame and held it on top of her stomach, finally able to study what it was. Within seconds, she realized exactly what it was. And it made her eyes well up with tears.

It was a picture frame.

The light green casing had three different photo slots in it. The first picture was of Aiden, holding a poke ball in his hands and laughing. The middle slot held a picture of Michelle, the little girl laying down on her stomach and holding her head in her hands as she smiled charmingly. The final space displayed a sonogram picture of the unborn baby girl: the one where she had her thumb in her mouth.

"Do you like it?" Aiden asked hopefully, his russet eyes shining.

Misty didn't look up from the frame, but a wide smile did break out on her face.

"You can put a real picture of the baby in there when she's born," Aiden pointed at the black and white image of his little sister. "But Daddy said that we should put that one in for now, cause she's in your tummy."

"Yeah, that's really cute," Misty laughed shakily as a tear snuck out of the corner of her eye.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Michelle frowned. Aiden suddenly looked concerned as well. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no, that isn't it at all!" Misty stole one last glance at the picture frame before putting it down on the bed and pulling her children in for a tight embrace. "I love it _so _much! That present means so much to me…thank you sweethearts."

"If you're happy, then how come you're crying?" Aiden looked up. He didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Because these are happy tears, honey," Misty hiccupped as she wiped away the stray tear. "I'm just really, _really_ happy is all!"

"Oh, good!" Aiden beamed.

"Yay! Happy Mommy!" Michelle giggled girlishly and got as close to her mother as she could, what with the full-size stomach in the way. From that same impressive bump came a big kick, one that startled the twins and caused Misty to laugh in pure joy.

"Oh, your little sister wants to be a part of this too!" Misty cooed.

"She scared me!" Aiden accused, folding his little arms as he huffed and turned his head to the side.

"Now Aiden, she didn't mean to," Misty rubbed the back of the young boy's neck. "She doesn't know any better. I think she gets a little lonely in my belly. All she wants to do is play with us!"

"I guess…" Aiden raised one of his young eyebrows.

"She's got nothing against you, little guy," Ash chuckled. "That wasn't even so bad! She likes to kick me in the face when I talk to her, you know."

"That's true," Misty smirked. "If the baby has it out for anyone here, it's your Daddy."

"Well, maybe our beautiful little girl won't take her anger out on me so much once I give you your birthday present," Ash hugged Misty before patting her stomach. "Come on, let's go!"

"Go where?" Misty looked over her shoulder at Ash's glowing face.

"To get your present," Ash chuckled.

"Ugh, I have to get _up?_" Misty groaned as she threw her head back.

"Yes, I know, actually getting out bed is _such_ a challenge," Ash muttered and rolled his eyes. Right after uttering those fateful words, Ash regretted them and knew he was in for it. One look at his wife's murderous face, and Ash was preparing to brace himself for impact. Even Aiden and Michelle seemed to know what was in store for their poor, although admittedly stupid, father.

"I have a _human being _inside of me, Ash Ketchum," Misty snarled, and then lowered her voice so Aiden and Michelle couldn't hear the next part, "and _you're _the one that put it there!

"I know, Misty, and I…"

"Do you not see how absolutely _huge _I am, or did you just go completely blind within the last thirty seconds?" Misty raised her voice again, and one of her hands balled into a tight and threatening fist. Suddenly, Ash felt like they were 10 years old again.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Let me tell you something, Mr. Pokémon Master!" Misty's face was turning red at this point. "This baby will be here in just over a month, and now that I'm not running the gym, I full well expect to sleep up until this kid decides to show up!"

Ash wanted to roll his eyes again, knowing that this was not a true statement. Even though he didn't doubt that Misty was achy and exhausted, Ash knew that she was not the kind of person who would lay around in bed because she was hugely pregnant. His wife was just a little too restless to laze around.

"Are we clear?" Misty planted her hands on her hips and continued to glare at Ash.

Ash sighed inwardly. He didn't want to rile Misty up anymore, even though there were way too many holes in her argument that he wanted to tease her about. Ash had to keep in mind that this reaction was provoked not only by his words, but worsened by Misty's rampant hormones.

"Yes Misty," Ash replied clearly, his eyes wide and unblinking. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's alright," Misty breathed, reaching out to brush Ash's bangs away from his eyes. The raven haired man smiled cheekily at his wife's action. Just a second ago, it seemed that she was going to use that hand to beat him. Now, she was using it to fawn over him. _Stupid hormones._

"So, are you ready to see your present?" Ash asked.

"Yes, I'm ready," Misty sighed as she nestled her head against Ash's neck. "Help me up."

Ash turned around and unfolded his legs, keeping Misty on his lap the whole time. She stared at him with an innocent expression, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Ash noticed this and playfully stuck his tongue out at the red head, who began laughing uncontrollably.

"You still can't get up on your own?" Ash tilted his head.

"No," Misty replied simply, pressing both hands against her baby bump. "I'm too big. It's hard for me to move."

This wasn't hormones. Now, Misty was just trying to be difficult. Ash wasn't stupid, despite what many people thought. At least not when it came to his wife. He spotted that familiar, devious glint in her emerald eyes, and knew she was messing with him.

Realizing he had no other choice, Ash held one arm against Misty's back, and the other under her knees. He stood up, holding her in his arms just like that. He had carried her in the same bridal style just last month, but she _definitely_ hadn't been this heavy. His arms were trembling, and he was afraid that he'd drop the pregnant gym leader at any moment.

"There…you're up," Ash tried his hardest not to wince. "Can you at least _walk_ on your own?"

"I guess so," Misty shrugged before laughing spritely. Ash put Misty down gently but hurriedly, making sure she was steady on her feet before taking his arms away.

"There we go," Ash sighed.

"Alright, show me my present now!" Misty clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Sure thing," Ash smirked. "Aiden, Michelle, come on now. We're gonna show Mommy her super special present!"

Aiden and Michelle screeched, the way almost all young children did when they became excited by something, and flew off the bed. Both Misty and Ash laughed at the sound of the children's small feet pounding against the hallway floor, the two children racing to get to wherever the present was first.

"We'd better go catch up," Ash winked at his wife. Misty giggled sweetly and agreed, taking hold of Ash's hand and pulling him out of the room in the same direction where the twins had gone.

Misty was a little surprised when she realized that the two had stopped right in front of the door of the spare guest bedroom that Ash had been converting into his "Pokémon Master's longue." Inwardly, Misty huffed. She still thought the whole thing was a stupid idea.

"So…what's my present?" Misty arched one of her slender eyebrows.

"It's right behind that door," Ash placed a hand on Misty's shoulder. Had he been facing her, he would've noticed a less than amused expression appearing on her pretty face.

"Let me get this straight," Misty deadpanned, "my birthday present from you is a room that you renovated for _yourself_?"

"No, of course not," Ash scoffed.

"But you told me that's what you were doing in there!" Misty whipped around and growled lowly.

"Well, you were right a few weeks ago when you asked if I was keeping a secret from you," Ash chuckled. "Why don't you open the door and find out the _real _reason I was spending all my time in there?"

Misty's anger was rising again, and she had suddenly acquired a strong urge to hit her husband. But her curiosity was getting the better of her, and at the moment, finding out just what exactly was behind that door seemed more appealing than taking her irritation out on Ash.

Grabbing a hold of the door knob, Misty pushed the door back and stepped into the door frame. Scanning her eyes around the room, she gasped as her hand flew up to her mouth. Misty could hardly believe what she was looking at. It was clear from just looking around the room that Ash really hadn't been refurbishing the room for himself.

He had been turning it into a room for the baby.

Misty remembered that, months ago, she had told Ash she didn't want to paint the baby's walls the standard pink or blue. He had obviously respected her wishes, because the walls were painted in a soothing foam green color instead. Each wall had light blue bubbles on it, the designs both hand drawn and hand painted. The bubbles were the same color as the sheer and sparkly curtains that adorned the nursery windows, and were currently being tied back by silky blue ribbon.

The crib against the far left wall was made of white wood, with a blue and white ruffled skirt covering the legs that reminded Misty of the ocean tide. Hanging above the crib was a mobile, which had the five water type starters in stuffed form dangling from blue and green ribbon. The quilt inside of the crib was made of both silky and cotton squares, colored in light blue, light green, and white. Ruffle edged pillows of the same colors lined the back of the crib, while one large white pillow with ruffled edges and blue and green ribbons at each corner sat against the headboard. A collection of stuffed Pokémon (all water types, of course) were congregated in the far left corner of the crib, the center of which was a large, pastel colored Vaporeon.

Against the opposite wall was a tall white bookshelf. It didn't hold too many books at the moment, seeing as a newborn baby wouldn't have much interest in them. There were a few, however, all of which were easy to red bedtime stories about Pokémon. Sitting on the edge of the middle shelf was a stuffed, pastel colored Pikachu: the only stuffed Pokémon in the room that wasn't a water type.

Next to the door, somewhat close to the crib, was a white dresser, adorned with blue and green crystal knobs. Atop the dresser was a ceramic Squirtle bank, a silver music box that had seashells and water type Pokémon carved into it, and several little picture frames colored in silver, blue, and green that held different pictures: some of Ash and Misty, some of Aiden and Michelle, and just one with a sonogram image.

In the right corner of the room was a white rocking chair, the same one that Misty had used when Aiden and Michelle were babies. Ash had considered getting Misty a new one, but she was far too attached to the one that now took residence in the new baby's room. Ash knew if ever tried to get rid of that rocking chair, Misty would probably claw his eyes out.

Misty even noticed the smallest details in the room, such as the seashell shaped nightlight that was plugged into the wall, and the framed cascade badge that hung on the far right wall.

"Well?" Ash's hopeful voice broke Misty out of her trance. "What do you think?"

Misty simply looked over her shoulder, the words she so badly wanted to say running through her head but getting caught in her throat. Ash began to look concerned, and almost instantly, panic set in for the Pokémon master.

"Oh, you hate it," Ash fretted, pulling at his midnight locks. "I knew I made it too boyish, I knew! There's too much blue, isn't there? Does it look like it's for a boy? It does, doesn't it? I'm so sorry Misty! I promise I'll change everything. I'll make it pink, and put hearts everywhere, and-"

Ash's ranting and raving was quickly cut off by Misty's lips. She was holding him close and kissing him right on the mouth, her eyes closed as her fingers gripped desperately at his dark pajama shirt. Ash was too shocked to kiss back, or even close his eyes. When Misty finally pulled away, she stared up at Ash with her bright emerald eyes, giggling quietly and still holding onto his shirt.

"…I don't understand…" Ash murmured.

"Ash, this is the best present I could have ever imagined," Misty breathed. Looking around the room again, her smile grew even wider and she continued, "it's so beautiful. I can't believe how much work you put into this."

"Tracey helped me," Ash blushed heavily. "He drew and painted the bubbles. And my Mom picked out the bedding for the crib. May, Dawn, and Iris helped me with the little things in the room, like the nightlight and the music box and the picture frames. Brock found the stuffed Pokémon for me, and Cilan helped to show me which colors to use. The whole water type theme was mine, Aiden, and Michelle's idea. We thought you would like it, because, well, you like water Pokémon."

"It's perfect," Misty laughed, wiping away an escaped tear.

"Happy crying again, Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Yes sweetheart, happy crying," Misty nodded as she rubbed her eyes. Aiden and Michelle darted forward to hug their mother's legs. Deciding that wasn't nearly enough, Ash scooped the twins up into his arms so they could give Misty a proper hug. Misty was more than happy to return the embrace, which she did with all of the strength she could manage. Before Ash could put the twins down, Misty outstretched her arms even further and included Ash in the hug.

"I love you guys so much," Misty whimpered happily. "I really have the best family in the whole wide world. No one is as lucky as I am."

"I feel the same way," Ash chuckled, pressing his forehead against Misty's. "A perfect family."

* * *

><p><strong>In retrospect, this chapter really didn't need to be this long. But I ended up having too much fun writing it :P If it makes you guys feel better, the next chapter is pretty much finished, and we get back to more of a plot. I just had to write this really long and descriptive chapter because I had such a vivid idea of the baby's room in my head and I put alot of thought into it. I just wanted to give it a huge reveal and make it seem super special :P<strong>

**So, as of the posting of this chapter, this story has 196 reviews. Remember, the 200th review gets a shout out, and I'm hoping to give it next chapter! So get those reviews in and tell me what you thought of this chapter, what's going to happen next, anything you want, really :P I look forward to reading all of them and getting out the next chapter to you guys as quickly as possible! Maybe even by the end of this week, if I can.**

**If you read all of this, then you are awesome. If not...you're still awesome :P Keep on reading, and I'll see you all next time ^^**


	23. A Big Surprise

***Gasp* A new chapter? So soon? I must be a mad woman.**

**Naaah, this chapter was pretty much done when I updated with the last one :P All it needed was one last read over, grammar and spelling check, all that jazz. The same goes for the next two chapters, so look forward to some pretty fast updates! Yay! This chapter is another fluffy one. You guys all seem okay with that, though! Which is awesome, because I like fluff :P**

**Just a heads up (I like to warn just in case anyone will get offended), but there's substantial evidence in this chapter that Ash and Misty go a bit beyond kissing in their room. If you catch my drift. There's nothing graphic, though! I'm not going rated M on any of you guys, don't worry :P**

**This chapter is dedicated to EchidnaPower, who got the 200th review!**

* * *

><p>"Oooh…"<p>

"Are you okay Mommy?"

Michelle eagerly grabbed her mother's hand, gently swinging it back and forth. Misty looked down at her daughter with tired eyes, but was able to give her a delicate smile and a small nod. Misty was only about three weeks away from giving birth, and she was just so tired all the time. It was greatly concerning for Aiden and Michelle, so Misty often had to go out of her way to prove to them that she was fine.

"I'm fine dear," Misty assured, "it's just a little hot for me in here is all."

Misty whined quietly and pulled at her thin yellow blouse. The thick August heat surrounded her like a blanket, and no matter what she did, Misty just couldn't get cool.

"Maybe you should change your outfit," Michelle suggested, "put on a dress, like me!"

Misty glanced at Michelle, who was giving her mother a sweet smile. The little girl was wearing a short, floral printed sundress with a matching headband and blue sandals. Misty found it odd, actually. Michelle very rarely dressed up like that. She just didn't like it.

"That sounds like a good idea," Misty rubbed her belly up and down, "I'll give it a try."

"I can ask Daddy to make the house colder too!" Michelle smiled as she jumped off the couch, scurrying up the stairs.

"Michelle, wait!" Misty held her hand out. But it was too late. The little girl was long gone. Groaning, Misty sat up with great difficulty, pressing both of her hands against the couch. "Alright. I guess I'm getting up by myself."

She tried standing up, but it was of no use. As soon as she got herself up, she wobbled a bit and fell back down with a small "oof." Misty blushed a bright shade of red, feeling awfully embarrassed. She was just glad no one was around to see this.

"Oh, honey, why didn't you ask me to help you?"

Misty's blush returned tenfold. This was the _one _person she was absolutely mortified had to witness what she had just done. She didn't say anything, instead choosing to turn her head away and cover her face with one of her hands.

"Angel," Ash cooed, walking over to Misty. "Come on now, don't be embarrassed. I'm not going to make fun of you. I wouldn't think of it."

"Ash, you don't understand…" Misty grumbled.

Chuckling huskily, Ash sat down next to Misty and gently pushed her onto her back, earning a grunt from his heavily pregnant wife.

"Come on, now I'll _never_ be able to get up," Misty threw her head back.

"You will, I'm right here to help you," Ash touched her face. "I always will be."

"That's cute," Misty replied in mock sweetness. Edging out her voice, she continued, "now what exactly are you doing?"

"A little pidgey told me you were feeling rather…hot," Ash purred.

"If by "little pidgey" you mean Michelle?" Misty threw Ash a knowing look.

"Mmmhm," Ash confirmed, tracing circles around the middle of Misty's belly with his index finger. "Our sweet, gentle little pidgey."

"You're not helping with the heat situation, you know," Misty's blush returned for a third time. Ash's innocent yet blatant flirtation was greatly flustering the red head.

"Sorry," Ash smirked, "let me help with that."

He lifted the delicate yellow material away from Misty's midsection, revealing her well filled out bump. Misty breathed out heavily, feeling a small sense of relief from having the shirt off of her stomach. Ash smiled at the sight of his wife's stomach, just touching his lips against the swell of it.

"It makes me so happy," Ash whispered against her milky skin, "to see your belly so full of our baby."

Misty's heart was fluttering as Ash gave all of his attention to her, kissing her stomach and rubbing its sides. The baby soon woke up, happy to be under her father's interest as well. She soon began kicking, moving about as much as she could in her cramped space. Ash pulled away slightly and saw the very visible outline of the baby's foot.

"Misty," Ash beamed at his wife, "she's showing me her little foot."

"I can feel it," Misty giggled softly.

"Doesn't our daughter just have the cutest little footsie ever?" Ash trilled in a high pitched, baby talk voice as he tickled the impression. Misty's laughs grew stronger as he tickled, her pregnant belly tending to be _very_ sensitive.

"A…Ash!" Misty shrieked in between bursts of laughter. "Q…quit it! Haha…I…I can't…breathe!"

Ash pulled his fingers away, watching with a gentle smirk as Misty's giggles died down, the blood draining from her face as she began to relax.

"I love you so much Misty," Ash smiled, leaning over to kiss her on the lips. Misty wanted to deepen the kiss, but she still felt out of breath from her husband's tickle attack.

"Mommy, Daddy, what are you doing?"

Ash and Misty both looked over to the side. Michelle was standing in the doorway, staring back at her parents with wide emerald eyes. She soon took notice of her mother's bare stomach, before once again turning her attention onto Ash.

"Daddy, are you hurting Mommy?" Michelle sulked.

"No, no baby!" Ash gasped. He pulled Misty's shirt down and helped her to sit up, gently rubbing the back of her neck. "I would never hurt Mommy, sweetheart. We were just playing, that's all."

"Mommy said she wanted to be in a dress, like me," Michelle went on as she tugged at her skirt.

"Oh, so then I should let her get changed, hmm?" Ash smiled down at his wife. Misty hummed happily and rested her head against Ash's chest, running her hand up and down his abs.

"Let her up Daddy!" Michelle started jumping up and down, her expression becoming frantic. "Hurry Daddy!"

"Michelle, honey, is something the matter?" Misty looked away from Ash, confused by her daughter's impatient behavior. Ash, meanwhile, gave his daughter the most pleading look he could manage. Michelle seemed to get the hint, as she relaxed and shrugged at her mother.

"No Mommy," was her answer.

"Okay," Ash stood up, holding a hand out to Misty. She smiled up at him, and he gave her a small bow. "Your highness."

Laughing, Misty took Ash's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. This time, Misty kept her balance and didn't fall down.

"Can you get up the stairs on your own?" Ash asked. He wasn't being funny, Misty could tell. There was genuine concern in his dark brown eyes. If she needed help, he was going to provide it.

"I'll be just fine," Misty murmured, pressing her thumb and index fingers against Ash's chin in a playful manner. "Thank you though."

Ash gave her one last kiss before letting her go. Misty smiled back at Ash and patted Michelle on the head before heading up the staircase. Once she was out of earshot, Ash sighed and looked down at his daughter, who had a rather strange looking smile on her face.

"I did bad, Daddy," she whispered.

"No, it's alright baby," Ash knelt down and held his arms out. Michelle scurried over to him, jumping into his comforting embrace. Chuckling, Ash leaned into his daughter's ear and continued in a hushed tone, "She has _no _idea."

Michelle giggled and pulled back, excitedly shaking her head. This was fun, she thought. Surprising her Mommy was amusing, Michelle had decided. She couldn't wait to see the look on her mother's face that afternoon!

"Let's go find Aiden," Ash stood up, still holding Michelle in his arms. "He and Pikachu are on the lookout for Brock and Grammy and all of the others."

"And then we 'stract Mommy!" Michelle cheered.

"Yes princess," Ash kissed her forehead, "we distract Mommy."

**XXX**

For the most part, Misty didn't like maternity clothes. She didn't find them pretty, or even halfway decent. Her sisters were good in that department, helping her find pretty clothes that would still fit over her expansive stomach. Most recently, Daisy had gone out shopping with Misty and found her a lovely sundress. Misty thought it would be foolish to buy at first, but now she was extremely grateful that she had been talked into buying the frock.

It was lilac, with delicate spaghetti straps and an intricate lace design bordering the sweetheart neckline of the dress. A darker purple ribbon separated the top of the dress from the bottom, which was supposed to be tied into a ribbon in the back. Misty was having problems doing this on her own, however. The outfit's bottom half was flowy and swayed when she moved, even with her large stomach filling out the skirt right below the ribbon.

"Not bad," Misty murmured to herself, scrutinizing her image in the mirror. The baby began moving about rather harshly, gently shifting her belly from side to side. "Hmm? What is it dear?" Misty placed both hands on her midsection. "Are you happy in there?" Another kick seemed to confirm Misty's inquiry, or so she liked to think. Giggling, Misty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued staring at her reflection.

From downstairs, she could've sworn she heard the door open, accompanied by an excitable shriek from one of the children, but Misty was sure Ash had control of it. For now, she was going back to try and tie the ribbon behind her.

**XXX**

"May! Dawn!" Michelle squealed rather loudly. Ash momentarily panicked and covered his daughter's mouth, earning a little whine from the child.

"Sorry princess," Ash apologized quietly as he withdrew his hand. "But that was a _little _bit too loud. We can't get caught, you know."

"She's such a cutie," Dawn giggled, taking the girl away from Ash without so much as a warning. Ash furrowed his brow at this, but Michelle didn't seem to mind in the slightest, instead choosing to bury her head in the space between the coordinator's neck and shoulder.

"I'm wearing the dress you got me, Dawn!" Michelle whispered. "See?"

"Yes, and it looks lovely on you!" Dawn replied.

"Guys, where are Drew and Kenny?" Ash asked.

"We sent them out to get some last minute things," May informed while she playfully ruffled Aiden's hair. The young boy let out a few groans of displeasure every now and again, but otherwise didn't vehemently protest. He liked May too much.

"I called Brock before, and he and your Mom are just finishing up the food," Dawn informed.

"Everyone else will be arriving at three, just like we told them to," May finished, her sapphire eyes gleaming.

"Great!" Ash folded his arms. "Everything is perfect so far."

"I'm so happy we finally get to throw Misty a baby shower," Dawn sighed in an angelic fashion. "I bet she's going to be so surprised! Maybe she'll give us all hugs! Or start crying tears of joy!"

"Yeah, or maybe she'll get annoyed with us and kick me in my most sensitive area," Ash grumbled.

"Ash!" May gasped.

"Hey, she's done it before," Ash defended, shrugging his shoulders.

"Speaking of which, where _is_ Misty?" Dawn raised one willowy eyebrow.

"She's upstairs, getting changed," Ash answered innocently. "She was too hot in her outfit, so Michelle told her to change into a dress."

"ASH!" May and Dawn shrieked simultaneously, causing the Pokémon master to jump.

"What? What's wrong with that?"

"You're supposed to be distracting her!" May cried.

"It won't take her that long to change!" Dawn added frantically.

"It will with her stomach in the way," Ash argued. "I watch her get dressed every morning, and it takes her _forever. _Don't worry about it."

May reached out and flicked Ash in the forehead, earning a surprised, and slightly pained, cry from the young man. "Go up there and keep her busy!"

"But Aiden and Michelle!" Ash tried.

"I'm a mother, Ash, I'm capable of watching them," May narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, fine," Ash grumbled as he sulked and turned around, trudging off towards the steps.

"We got rid of Daddy," Michelle giggled, with Dawn soon joining in as well.

"What do we do now?" Aiden asked, gazing up at his two godmothers.

"That's an easy one dear," May tickled the boy's nose, causing him to laugh. "We go out into the backyard and start decorating!"

"Why there?" Michelle blinked. "The shower is upstairs!" Dawn and May exchanged curious glances before realizing what Michelle had meant. Chuckling, they both casted their gazes onto Michelle, who just continued to look perplexed by the whole situation. "What's so funny?"

"Sweetheart, you don't take a shower at a baby shower," Dawn moved Michelle so the two could lock eyes.

"You don't?" Michelle sounded intrigued.

"No," Dawn rubbed their noses together. "You see, it's called a baby shower because you get to shower the mommy with lots of presents for the baby!"

"Oh, I understand now!" Michelle beamed, clearly excited by her newly acquired knowledge.

"Wonderful," May giggled airily behind her delicate hand. "Now come on. Let's get to decorating!"

**XXX**

Ash creaked open the bedroom door, finding Misty standing in front of the full length mirror as she carefully toyed with the ribbon sash of her light purple dress.

"Aw, I came up here too late!"

Misty gasped and spun around, covering her heart. When she saw it was just Ash, she let out a disgruntled groan and complained, "Arceus, Ash. Don't scare me like that! If you keep this nonsense up, I'll go into an early labor."

"Well, now you've scared _me,_" Ash grumbled slightly.

"Sorry dear," Misty smiled lovingly at her husband before returning to the task at hand.

"What in the world are you doing?" Ash chuckled as he leaned against the door frame.

"I'm trying to tie this ribbon into a bow," Misty furrowed her brow in deep concentration as her tongue just poked out of the corner of her mouth. "So far, no good."

"Who needs a bow?" Ash shrugged as he moved closer to Misty. At first, he wasn't sure how to distract his beautiful wife, but now he had a pretty good idea. He stood right behind her and ran his index finger over the front of the ribbon, which rested right above her stomach. "You look cute enough without a bow."

"Well I can't just walk around with an untied ribbon," Misty argued softly.

"Maybe you don't need the ribbon either," Ash moved his head down and ghosted his lips against her delicate neck. "Maybe you don't need to wear anything at all."

"Ash!" Misty gasped, partially out of shock for his suggestion and partially out of pleasure for his actions.

"You're so beautiful," Ash nipped at the skin of her neck, enjoying the intense warmth on his lips. "So, _so_ beautiful."

"That doesn't mean I can walk around naked," Misty replied, almost timidly.

"Well…you can around me," Ash moved his hand down so it was resting on her swollen stomach.

"Are you implying something, Mr. Pokémon Master?" Misty purred. Ash chuckled huskily while moving his head away from Misty's neck. He instead turned his attention onto her ear, kissing its middle and tracing the shell with just the tip of his tongue.

"Maybe," was Ash's coy reply.

Misty whipped around, instantly separating Ash from her ear. He stared down at his wife, who really did look quite tiny compared to him, even with that impressive bump. She planted her hands onto her hips, locking eyes with her bewildered husband as she scrutinized his handsome, and confused, face.

"Do you know how long it took me to put this thing on?" Misty asked indignantly while pulling at the skirt of her dress. Ash processed her words, eventually formulating what he believed to be a good response.

"You'll be able to get it back on twice as fast with my help," Ash smirked. "And that applies to getting it off as well."

"You are a snarky little thing," Misty shook her head.

"The best kind of thing," Ash embraced Misty, pressing his hands against her lower back as he leaned his head down to kiss her. Misty moaned and kissed back, quickly making it much more passionate than it had started out. Pulling away, Ash chuckled and asked, "Are you with me yet?"

"For what?" Misty was breathless, panting to try and refill her lungs.

"For this," Ash murmured as he slipped the light purple spaghetti strap off of Misty's delicate shoulder. Misty shrugged up, as if trying to stop him, but she soon stopped and smiled up innocently at him. Letting out a single chuckle, Ash shook his head to clear some ebony locks away from his eyes and commented, "I can't interpret just your pretty smiles, angel."

"Fine," Misty sighed in mock annoyance as she wrapped her arms around Ash's strong neck, greatly amusing the Pokémon master. "Take me."

**XXX**

"Why is there pink everywhere?"

Delia giggled as her grandson looked around the backyard, grimacing at every last streamer and balloon he laid eyes on.

"Because the party is to celebrate your baby sister," Delia kneeled down in front of the boy, gently ruffling his soft hair. "So pink it is!"

"But I like red," Aiden pulled a new face, still reminiscent of Ash. "Why couldn't it be red?"

"I'll tell you what," Delia gently tapped the child's nose, "when it's your birthday, I'll throw you a party, and we'll have all red decorations, okay?"

"But I share my birthday with Shelly," Aiden frowned slightly. "And she doesn't like red like I do. She likes light blue."

"Well, maybe we'll make it half red, half light blue," Delia suggested, a little sparkle in her eyes. "What do you think of that?"

"That sounds good," Aiden finally smiled and nodded to confirm it.

"Wonderful!" Delia chirped. Standing up, she collected a stack of pink plastic plates and handed them off to her young grandson. "Would you mind putting these on the tables for me, sweetheart?"

"Okay Grammy!" Aiden beamed, running off towards the round white tables that were set up in one half of the backyard. After admiring the child's exuberance for a moment, Delia returned to her work with Brock, which involved laying out all of the food they had prepared. She was certainly glad May and Dawn had appointed Ash to distract his wife; had he been down there helping to set up, he'd probably have eaten half the food by now.

Speaking of the two coordinators, they were still decorating the backyard, tying up balloons and hanging streamers. Michelle was happily helping her godmothers by sprinkling packets of confetti onto the tables, where Aiden was laying down the plates just as Delia had asked. Tracey was in charge of cups, while Drew and Kenny folded napkins and placed plastic utensils on top of them.

"May, Dawn, do you think Mommy is going to be surprised?" Michelle asked excitedly.

"I certainly do!" Dawn nodded as she finished tying the pink ribbon of one of the balloons to a white chair.

"I like it when Mommy is happy," Michelle spread some more confetti around the table. "She gets 'specially happy when she knows that I helped!"

"You _and_ your brother," May's eyes were twinkling as she looked at the little girl.

"Yeah, I guess," Michelle scoffed. Both May and Dawn laughed at this, clearly finding the young girl to be very amusing.

"Is it almost time for the party yet?" Aiden whined after putting down the last plate.

"Soon little guy," Tracey laughed as he glanced at his watch. "Just about ten more minutes. Think you can hold out until then?"

"I guess…" Aiden grumbled. Suddenly, his stomach growled rather loudly, causing the young boy to blush and nervously rub the back of his neck.

"I get it," Tracey chuckled, "you're hungry. _That's_ why you want the party to start so bad!"

"Uncle Tracey," Aiden begged, "can't I have some food now? Please?"

"You can't wait _just_ a little bit, buddy?" Tracey frowned slightly.

"Maybe," Aiden whimpered slightly. As if on cue, his stomach growled again, this time more loudly than before. Aiden looked up from his tummy towards his Uncle, giving the former Pokémon watcher quite the pleading look.

"Oh, you're just like Ash," Tracey sighed to himself. Showing the young boy a smile, Tracey commented, "Well, I guess I could get you a little something to eat."

"Thanks Uncle Tracey!" Aiden cheered, clapping his small hands together.

"Yoo-hoo! Tracey!" A high pitched voice called from somewhere beyond the fence, earning a quiet gasp from Professor Oak's loyal assistant.

"Let's hurry Aiden," Tracey eagerly grabbed his nephew's hand, "before your aunt catches me and tells your Mommy what I did."

**XXX**

Ash yawned, turning his head so his cheek was pressed against the top of Misty's head. The late summer sunlight that was pouring through the couple's bedroom windows had made her soft ginger hair warm, and the heated touch against his skin was comforting to Ash. His right arm was wrapped around her body, holding her delicate frame close to his much stronger one. Misty, at this point, was still asleep, her gentle breath tickling Ash's side while her hand lingered on his trim chest.

Giggling quietly, Ash closed his eyes again and settled more deeply into the mattress. He was perfectly content to be just like this, snuggled next to his wife while she slept. It was such a simple yet wonderful feeling for the Pokémon master.

With Ash settling back into a shallow slumber, he couldn't hear someone gently calling his name from the other side of the door. Even when they knocked, it wasn't going through his dense head. Finally, the door swung back, a young female figure peering into the room.

"GAH! ASH!"

_This_ was the trick to getting Ash to wake up. He jumped up, leaving Misty fairly undisturbed. All she did was let out a quiet moan, although that did nothing in waking the young woman up. Ash, however, was fully awake, and the blush crawling up onto his cheeks upon locking eyes with their unexpected visitor was burning like a flamethrower from Charizard.

May, meanwhile, couldn't _believe _what she'd just walked in on. Ash, topless with disheveled raven locks and slightly darkened eyes. Misty, lying by his side with tangled red hair and only her right arm visible. The rest of her body was covered by the sheets, as was the lower half of Ash's body.

May wasn't dumb. She was married herself. She knew _exactly _what all of this meant. In realizing that, her own face grew a fierce shade of red, rivaling the one that was currently gracing Ash's handsome face.

"A…Ash…" May groaned, turning her face away as she closed her eyes.

"May, why didn't you knock?" Ash cried, pulling the covers all the way up to his neck. May cracked open one eye, and upon seeing that Ash's half naked body was no longer in plain sight, she turned her head back towards him, shooting daggers.

"I did, you dolt!" May seethed. "I called your name, _and_ I knocked! Why didn't you answer?" Ash opened his mouth to respond, but May quickly cut him off. "You know what? Never mind; I really don't want to know."

Misty's eyes fluttered open, her hand raising from Ash's chest in order to rub the remaining sleep from her tired emerald orbs. "Mmm…Ash…" She sighed happily and snuggled against his body, purring slightly.

"Mist…" Ash begrudgingly tried, his blush increasing yet again.

"No Ashy, I'm too tired. Let me sleep some more."

"Misty, wake up."

"No…"

"Misty, May is standing in our doorway!"

Misty's eyes snapped open. Peering towards the doorway, she found May standing with her arms folded and a rather disturbed scowl set on her pretty, young face.

"Eee!" Misty shrieked, pulling the covers up in a similar fashion to the way Ash had done earlier. Instead of just pulling them up to her neck, however, she pulled them all the way over her face. "May!" She cried from underneath the light green fabric. "Wh…what are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to uh…visit…" May lied, her sapphire eyes shifting from side to side.

"So you had to come visit our _bedroom?_" Misty was still squealing.

"N…no, I didn't want to see…this!" May motioned wildly towards her two indecent friends. Blushing yet again, May added, "just…just come downstairs when you're…done, alright?"

"Why?" Misty lowered the sheets slightly to show May her narrowed eyes.

"Because there's food down there!" May blurted out, believing that was the best lie she could come up with. "And…and I bet you're both uh…hungry. After…yeah. I'm gonna go now."

Ash and Misty could've both sworn they'd never seen May move as quickly in her life. Ash chuckled and leaned back against the headboard, pulling Misty down with him.

"We have some crazy friends, huh?" Ash smirked.

"Yeah, real crazy," Misty replied sarcastically.

"She's right though," Ash glanced towards the clock. It was 3:15. _Damn. _"We should go downstairs."

"Why?"

"Because…well, May isn't wrong," Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm hungry."

"Seriously?"

"Heh…" Ash's stomach churned noisily, causing Misty to grin cheekily at him. _Right on time, _Ash silently thanked his constantly raging hunger.

"You're _always_ hungry after," Misty mumbled with a little giggle.

"It doesn't matter whether it's after or not," Ash folded his arms. "I'm always hungry no matter what!"

"Then you'd better get dressed," Misty teased as she grasped Ash's sheet covered hip. "Yeah, you _definitely _need to get dressed."

"Same goes for you," Ash stuck out his tongue playfully.

"Remember, you said you'd help," Misty pressed her small nose against Ash's.

"Well, I never go back on my word!" Ash pounded his chest just once. "So let's go! Back into that pretty little dress of yours!"

**XXX**

Helping Misty to get back into her dress had proved to be a bit of a challenge for Ash. She was still feeling rather flirty, and kept going to hug and kiss Ash. Normally, Ash would welcome the distraction, but he was already 20 minutes late for the surprise party _he _had helped plan for Misty. He knew he would never hear the end of it.

Once Misty was finally in her dress, ribbon tied and all, Ash wrapped his arm around Misty and walked with her out of the bedroom.

"Let's go get some food," Ash smiled down at his blissful wife. Paying special attention to her belly, he added, "I bet our little girl is _really _hungry, huh?"

"Well, let's see…" Misty murmured, placing a hand against the top of her bump. The baby kicked just once, and Misty laughed joyfully. "Yep, she's definitely looking for something!"

At the bottom of the stairs, May was still waiting for the couple, her arms folded while her foot tapped impatiently.

"What are you doing waiting around here, May?" Misty asked, alarming the brunette coordinator.

"Oh!" May blinked. "I…I just didn't want to start eating without you two was all!"

"It's not a big deal May," Misty raised a curious eyebrow. "Every time you come over, you raid our fridge with no remorse."

"Well…heh…" May shrugged nervously before beckoning, "come on! Let's go outside!"

"Why?" Misty frowned. "It's hot out there."

"It's not so bad in the shade," May tried. "Besides, I already put our food out there. So come on!"

"But…I really don't want to go outside," Misty backed away slightly.

"Mist, it'll be fine," Ash gave her a gentle squeeze. "If you get too hot out there, we can go back inside, all right? But I think some fresh air will be good for you."

Misty sighed but finally gave into her friend and husband's request. She gripped Ash's hand and allowed him to lead her to the back door, watching as May pulled the sliding door back. Once it was fully open, Misty looked out into the backyard, her eyes growing wide at the scene before her.

"SURPRISE!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash is just full of suprises, isn't he? Wonder how Misty will react. Any thoughts? <strong>

**So...the feedback for last chapter you guys. It was UNBELIEVEABLE! I didn't think I would get anything for last chapter, because, well, nothing important happened. But you guys still reviewed and did all of that, and I just seriously really appreciate it. Your suppourt is outstanding, so thank you so much for all of it!**

**And since alot of you were saying you wanted to be 200, fear not! You will have another opportunity to get a dedication. How about we make the next one for review #250? ;)**

**Thanks again for reading. Next update will be coming in just a few days, so stay tuned!**


	24. Not Quite Ready

**Haha, another update! I swear I'm not rushing through these, by the way. I actually started these chapters a little while back, because I was so excited about them, so they've been finished for awhile. And I just can't wait to put them up :P Also, I'm in a super happy mood because the Giants won the Super Bowl :D They're my favorite football team, so I've been living it up since Sunday.**

**Soo, last time, Ash decided to present Misty with a baby shower. How will she react to such a surprise? Let's find out.**

* * *

><p>"Wha…what is this?"<p>

"It's a baby shower!" May squealed, clasping her hands together. "Don't you just love it?"

"I…I…" Misty stammered, feeling unable to formulate a proper response.

"Dawn and I were so upset we couldn't throw you one the first time around," May continued, clearly unaware of Misty's discomfort, "so when we found out you were having another baby, we started planning this party right away!"

Misty was still staring at everyone in her backyard with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She wasn't entirely sure of how to react to this.

"Aren't you surprised, Misty?" Dawn squealed, running up to the gym leader. Aiden and Michelle were racing right behind the bluenette coordinator, their eyes shining with excitement.

Ash glanced over at his wife. He'd known her for 17 years, so he knew what each of her facial expressions meant. Right now, her face appeared tight, with wide, unblinking eyes, and her mouth set into a fine line. Her jaw was also set, further hardening her uneasy expression.

Yes. Misty was not amused.

"I had nothing to do with this," Ash leaned over and whispered into Misty's ear, hoping to save himself some of her uncontrollable fury.

Aiden and Michelle both let out tiny squeals, latching onto their mother's toned legs. Misty's eyebrow arched slightly as she peered down. It was a futile attempt, however, as she couldn't see her feet due to her bulging stomach. Blushing slightly, Misty grunted and folded her arms, looking up with her eyes shifted towards the midsummer clouds. As if sensing her frustration, the baby delivered a kick so hard that Misty could feel it in her spine. Wincing, she grabbed onto her belly, letting out a sharp breath as she did so.

"We helped, Mommy," Michelle's light, airy voice caused Misty to relax her face. She noticed that the twins were now standing in front of her, so she could properly see their little faces.

"Don't you like it?" Aiden frowned slightly. Misty smiled sympathetically and let out a small giggle. She kneeled down as much as she could, causing Ash to gasp and hiss several displeased axioms at her. Misty simply chose to ignore them, however, as she reached out to stroke the twins' hair.

"I love it. You know that everything means more to me when you two help out! You're my little babies, after all."

Misty held out her arms for a hug, which Aiden and Michelle were happy to oblige. The mother and children blissfully and silently embraced for a few moments, until Misty went to give the young ones each a kiss. Michelle was happy to receive the gesture, but Aiden was anything but.

"EW!" Aiden cried after feeling his mother's lips against his temple. He pushed at her shoulders and informed her, "too much love, Mommy."

"I'm sorry little buddy," Misty ruffled his raven locks. Aiden huffed indignantly and marched over to his father, knowing that the man was less likely to fawn over him.

"So, you _do_ like it?" Dawn's bright blue eyes began to glitter once more.

"Well, I wasn't planning on having a big party anytime soon," Misty blushed slightly, "but it's a nice surprise."

"That doesn't necessarily sound like a yes," May murmured to herself as she scratched her head.

"Who cares!" Dawn squealed excitedly. "She said she was surprised, and that's the point! So, we did a good job!"

"Not entirely," May narrowed her eyes at the younger coordinator before giving a shrug, "but whatever makes you happy."

Misty tried to stand up from her kneeling position, but the extra weight was too much to handle and she ended up falling onto her bottom.

"Oof!" Misty huffed as soon as she landed. This was met with several nervous or horrified gasps, and Misty was almost certain she'd heard terrified mutterings along the lines of, _"the baby!"_

"Mommy?" Michelle asked worriedly as she leaned forward.

"Sweetie," Misty comforted with a tiny grin, "I'm just fi-"

She was cut off by Ash pulling her up to her feet by underneath her arms. Misty whipped around, glaring at the Pokémon Master. She relaxed, however, when she saw the worry in his dark brown eyes.

"Don't scare me like that, Mist," Ash almost pleaded in a quiet voice. Misty smiled sheepishly and nodded at her husband before being abruptly pulled away by her delicate wrist courtesy of Dawn.

"Come on Misty, sit down!" Dawn swung her friend's arm back and forth. "We have so much to do!"

"So much?" Misty groaned. "I just wanted to relax for a little bit. I'm _really_ tired."

"Oh," Dawn twisted her mouth before deciding, "I guess we can do that for a little while."

"Thank you," Misty sighed tiredly. She was still holding onto her belly, the pain in her back not quite gone from before. Dawn led her over to a chair, which Misty happily took. "Oh, I could just sleep sitting up!" Misty smirked, throwing her longer than usual red hair back. Dawn giggled and took a seat next to the gym leader, pressing a hand against the impressive bump.

"Is she a big baby?" Dawn queried.

Misty blushed. _Technically, _Dawn was calling her huge. Misty knew she was, but hearing other people say it wasn't much of a thrill. Also, tact had never been a strong suit of Dawn's.

"I don't think so," Misty slowly shook her head. "I have tiny babies."

"This one could be big," Delia moved closer to Misty, a little glint appearing in her light russet eyes. "Ash wasn't a little thing when he was born; not at all!"

"Mom!" Ash's face flashed a bright red, the heavy blush burning his skin. Misty laughed at this, and suddenly she seemed to be in a much better mood about this whole party. She was now surrounded by most of the females, all of them discussing girly things that Ash was sure he had no interest in.

Sighing, Ash looked down at his feet and realized that both Aiden and Michelle were no longer standing in front of him. Ash panicked slightly, afraid that the twins had run away from the house. He'd given them the speech about not leaving the backyard a million times, and he assumed it to be impossible with all these people around. But could they have really gotten away?

Looking ahead, Ash's heart began to settle down. Michelle had somehow inserted herself into the group of females, and was now sitting on May's lap, smiling happily as the brunette coordinator played with and braided her hair.

"Whoa there little man!"

That too caught Ash's attention. It was Drew's voice, that he knew for sure. Glancing over to the side, Ash saw that Aiden was up on the food table, although how he'd managed that Ash would never know.

Drew had his hands pressed against the top of the table, and he was carefully observing the young boy who was staring at all the different food.

"I don't know what to eat," Aiden finally announced to the green haired coordinator.

"I think you need to save some for everyone else big guy," Drew narrowed his eyes playfully as he let out a sly chuckle. "They're all hungry too, you know!"

"I'm hungrier," Aiden stated in a matter of fact manner.

"You must be like your Daddy, thinking everything is a competition," Drew snickered.

"I heard that, Drew."

The green haired coordinator shrieked in an almost girlish fashion and whipped around, finding himself face to face with an un amused Ash. Drew chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, throwing in a, "uh…hey Ash. Uh…cool party, huh?"

"Not particularly," Ash shot back before sighing and breaking out of his falsely angry charade. "I thought this would be a lot more fun. You know, me getting to make Misty feel all special. Instead, she's being surrounded by all the girls, and they're talking about things you couldn't pay me to _understand_, let alone be interested in."

"That's a baby shower for you," Drew shrugged. "You're just learning the hard way."

"Well, there's gotta be _something_ interesting for me to do!" Ash groaned.

"Feed me," Aiden suggested, folding his arms in complete seriousness.

"Alright buddy, I got you," Ash smirked at his young son. He put some food on a plate and handed it to the child, who happily accepted it without a word. Frowning, Ash prompted, "what do you say, Aiden?"

"Fank 'ou," Aiden replied with a full mouth.

"Good enough," Ash shrugged. "At least you said it."

"Well, what sort of activity would you find to be interesting?" Drew huffed slightly.

"Anything but that," Ash tilted his head towards the gaggle of females, who were all fawning over Misty.

"Then I think you're out of luck," Drew winked mischievously.

"Man, so now I'm stuck here all by myself," Ash hung his head. "This is pretty lame, huh?"

"You're not alone, Daddy," Aiden assured after swallowing his latest bite of food. "You have me! I'm not goin' to hang out with some dumb girls."

"Thanks buddy," Ash smiled sheepishly.

"Heh, you want something to do, Ashy boy?"

Ash stopped completely. Not even his eyes moved, not daring to shift or even blink. He knew exactly who was behind him; not only from the voice, but from the obnoxious nickname that only _this _person called him by.

"Gary," Ash stated simply as he turned around, glaring slightly at the Pokémon researcher. The two were grown men now, so of course the days of their boyhood rivalry were over. They got along much better now, although there were still plenty of times were Gary managed to tick Ash off. Calling him "Ashy boy" was a good way to annoy the Pokémon master, so Ash could only assume Gary had it out for him today. "What do you want?"

"Ouch, doesn't sound like you want to see me," Gary pouted in mock hurt.

"Depends on what you want," Ash replied smartly.

"I heard you complaining to grass head over here that you're bored," Gary poked his thumb towards Drew, who looked fairly insulted by Gary's name for him. "Thought that maybe I could help you out."

"By doing what? Torturing me?"

"Unless you consider a good old fashioned Pokémon battle torture, than no," Gary smirked.

"A Pokémon battle?" Ash repeated quietly.

"That's what I said. Just a friendly little match. Nothing to lose, right Ashy-"

"Call me Ashy boy one more time and you'll lose a finger."

"Alright, _Ash_," Gary rolled his eyes and smirked, "so what do you say? You up for the challenge?"

"Of course I am," Ash showed his former rival a sneaky little grin before coming to realization. "Oh. But…we can't just have the battle right here. Misty would kill me."

"That's no problem. We can take it out into the back woods! There's a great little clearing where I go to do a lot of my research. We could have a battle right there! It won't disrupt the party, and we'll be uninterrupted as well."

"Sounds fine to me," Ash nodded, "let's do it! Drew, you coming?" He turned to the green haired coordinator, who was still shooting daggers at Gary with his emerald eyes.

"Yeah, I guess," Drew flicked a lock of hair. "Better than standing around here while May ignores me, I suppose."

"Daddy, I want to come too!" Aiden suddenly cried out. Ash looked down at the boy's lap and noticed that his plate was empty.

"You finished all that food?" Ash sounded impressed.

"Yeah, cause I was hungry!" Aden smiled. "Can I come watch the battle?"

"Of course you can champ," Ash walked over to his son and lifted the boy off the table so he could be stood up on the ground. "You can learn a lot of things from watching Gary and I battle!"

"Okay, but I still want you to win," Aiden ran forward to hug one of Ash's legs.

"Well, look at that," Ash smirked at his former rival, who had a curious look on his face. "Looks like I've got a little fan support on my side!"

"I would have some as well if Sam was around," Gary sighed, folding his arms. "But, in this case, I suppose I'll just have to go with grass head over there." Looking up at a still perturbed Drew, Gary asked, "what do you say, buddy?"

"I don't think so," Drew huffed. "As far as this battle is concerned, I'm going to cement myself as a neutral viewer, thank you very much."

"Aw, come on Drew," Ash chuckled, "you're not gonna stand behind me?"

"No," Drew replied plainly. "I want to watch objectively. This isn't one of my wife's contests, you know."

"Fair enough," Gary shrugged his shoulders. "Now, anyone who wants to partake in this little battle exhibition, follow me!"

**XXX**

It was hot. That fact was undeniable. Being enormously pregnant only made it ten times hotter.

Being enormously pregnant _and _in pain? Misty wasn't entirely sure of how much that amplified the terribleness of the situation.

"Misty?"

The gym leader blinked and turned towards Dawn, who had her finger pressing into Misty's shoulder. The bluenette coordinator looked puzzled by Misty's reaction, and even more so when Misty said absolutely nothing in response.

"Are you alright?" Dawn finally asked, her sapphire eyes shining with concern.

"Yes, perfectly fine," Misty lied through her teeth.

"You've been awfully quiet," Dawn continued, placing her hands in her lap. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Dawn, you're starting to sound like Ash," Misty sighed, throwing her head back slightly. "Please relax. I'm _fine._"

"Alright, if you insist," Dawn murmured, straightening out her shoulders.

Misty nodded and slunk down further into her seat, hands resting on her very swollen stomach which housed her currently restless, unborn daughter. For whatever reason, the child was hell bent on hurting her mother today. Misty felt every movement so clearly, and they weren't gentle either. She had never felt such hard kicks yet. In addition, Misty was almost positive the girl was doing _flips_ in her stomach.

And _man _was her back killing her! Misty kind of just wanted to scream right now. Sometimes, that just made her feel better. But she couldn't do it in front of all of her friends, and _especially _not in front of Michelle.

"Come on Misty!" May's sweet voice broke Misty out of her miserable state. She looked towards the brunette, who was beaming. "You have to open your presents now!"

Misty groaned inwardly. That _really_ didn't seem like fun right now. Her face must have shown it off, because Michelle quickly became worried.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Yes baby girl, everything is perfect," Misty breathed, reaching out to touch her daughter's face. "I'm just…I just want to go inside for a few minutes is all."

"Why? Did you leave something in there?" May asked. "I can go in and get it for you if you want. That way you can just sit here and relax!"

"No, I didn't forget anything," Misty pulled herself up with some great difficulty, wincing once she was on her feet. Misty's expression troubled Michelle once again, who began to whimper from her spot on May's lap. Realizing that her daughter was upset again, Misty relaxed herself and continued, "I'm very hot is all. I just want to cool off. You can all wait a few more minutes for presents, right?"

"Of course dear," Delia smiled at her daughter in law. "Take your time."

Misty tried to grin back, but she couldn't manage it. All Misty could think about at the moment was air conditioning. And ice. Oh what Misty wouldn't give to be in a frozen tundra right now! These thoughts caused her to walk faster towards the house, looking forward to being in cool air like nothing else in the world.

As soon as Misty reached the door, she wrapped her hand around the door knob and prepared to pull it open. Just as she yanked at the handle, a strange and almost painful pressure filled her stomach. Misty huffed at the sensation, but shook it off when the feeling disappeared as soon as it had arrived.

"Just the baby jumping on my bladder," Misty mumbled to herself as she stepped into the house. "No big deal."

**XXX**

"Umbreon, let's go!"

Ash watched with intent eyes as Gary tossed his poke ball, sending out his oldest and most dear Pokémon.

"Umbreon is a cool Pokémon!" Aiden beamed as he studied the moonlight Pokémon. Ash furrowed his brow and looked down at his young son, who appeared ready to cheer for the evolved form of Eevee.

"Hey, I thought you were on _my_ side, buddy!" Ash frowned.

"I am, Daddy!" Aiden chuckled as he raised his head so he could see his father. "I just like Umbreon is all! I bet you can beat him though."

"We'll see about that," Ash smirked. Turning his head towards his shoulder, Ash locked eyes with his own Pokémon partner, who was grinning back at his trainer with pure confidence. "Alright Pikachu. You think you can take on Umbreon?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, leaping off of Ash's shoulder. He stood firmly in front of his trainer, eyes narrowed in determination at the dark Pokémon as he readied himself for battle.

"Pikachu…why am I not surprised?" Gary folded his arms and grinned mischievously at his old rival.

"Because you shouldn't be," Ash replied in the same tone.

"Wow, sending out the big guns first," Drew droned from the sidelines. "Pretty interesting move, if I do say so myself."

"It's good to change it up every now and then," Ash chuckled, Gary agreeing with a simple nod.

"So," Drew flicked a strand of green hair away from his eyes, "what are the rules for this little match?"

"How about a three on three?" Gary looked at Ash for approval. "No substitutions. Best two out of three wins."

"Sounds good to me," Ash grinned. "Do you want the first move?"

"It would be my pleasure," Gary nodded. "Umbreon, use shadow ball!"

"Um!" Umbreon cried as a deep violet ball of energy formed in front of his mouth. He shot it out towards Pikachu, who didn't even twitch at the attack.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped out of the way, easily avoiding the dark move.

"Great," Ash complimented the electric type. "Now try electroball!"

"Kachu!" Pikachu jumped into the air and spun around, a sphere of energy firing off the end of his lightning bolt shaped tail.

"Umbreon, get out of the way!" Gary barked.

The dark type Pokémon was very fast, but had gotten distracted in this case and was unable to move out of the way in time. The ball of electricity collided with Umbreon, sending the moonlight Pokémon down to the ground.

"Umbreon!" Gary yelled in concern. While his partner seemed to have been hit hard by the attack, he got up quickly and shook out his black fur, setting his eyes back on Pikachu.

"It didn't hurt too much," Aiden murmured.

"Looks like a pretty even match so far," Drew added. "But we've got a lot of battle in front of us."

**XXX**

"Okay, you gotta relax baby girl…" Misty panted as she opened the refrigerator door and stuck her head in. She was in fact looking for something to drink, but she was also trying to cool off. The air conditioning was certainly better than sitting outside in the blistering heat, but it still didn't seem to be helping much. Misty was sweating up a storm, and still found her current state of being to be highly uncomfortable.

Locating the fresh lemonade she and Michelle had recently made, Misty grabbed the pitcher and reluctantly closed the fridge. Approaching the counter, Misty whined and held onto her stomach, her breathing becoming significantly heavier. There was a lingering tightness in the middle of her midsection, and all Misty wanted to do was ignore it and hope it would go away.

As she retrieved a glass to pour the lemonade into, a kick connected directly with her organs, sending a fairly sharp pain up her stomach.

"Ow!" Misty wailed, once again holding onto her bump. Looking down at her heavy stomach, Misty groaned and hissed, "Why are you hurting me so much?"

The pain subsided, and Misty sighed, pouring her drink while still keeping a hand on her very swollen belly. She was starting to feel sick, and her body was beginning to tremble.

"Stupid heat," Misty complained to herself. "Screwing me up. Doesn't help that the baby is on a torture spree. She's gonna be just like Ash, I know it."

Misty spent the next few minutes drinking her lemonade and pacing the floor, trying to relax herself. She just wanted this sick feeling to go away, and to stop sweating. Before she knew it, her glass was empty. Misty just stared at the vacant cup for a while before deciding she didn't want anymore.

Walking over to the sink, Misty placed the glass inside with the intent to wash it. Just as she was about to turn the water on, another fierce pain traveled up her belly, and this time Misty cried out in pain.

She pushed her palms against the marble counter top, silently begging the pain to go away. But it didn't. Panting and gasping, Misty pried one hand off of the cool surface and pressed it against her stomach. As soon as the two parts of her body made contact, Misty knew she was in trouble.

It felt as though she was touching rock. The muscles in her stomach were tight, every fiber pulling and causing her more and more pain with each passing second.

_Oh no, _Misty thought, her eyes filling with tears. _No, no, no._

**XXX**

Michelle looked around curiously, her newly braided locks brushing against her fair cheeks as she turned her head from side to side.

"Michelle, what are you doing?"

The young red head tilted her eyes up so she was looking at May, who was still holding the girl on her lap. Michelle let out a sigh, lowering her head as she continued her innocent little search.

"I'm waiting for Mommy to come back. She went inside a long time ago."

"Yeah, that's true," May agreed.

"I want to go see her, May," Michelle looked up at her godmother yet again.

"I don't know, Michelle. Your Mommy seemed like she wanted to be alone for a little while."

"No, she was just hot is all. Mommy loves to see me! She says that I make her really happy, because I'm her little girl. If Mommy is sad, I can make her feel better!"

"Well…if you really want to…" May sighed. Michelle nodded quickly and slid off of the brunette coordinator's legs, sprinting eagerly towards the house. She knew she would be able to make her mother feel better. And once that was done, her mother would come back outside and open presents! Michelle couldn't wait to see all the things everyone had bought for her baby sister.

Reaching the door, Michelle jumped up onto her toes and grabbed the handle, pulling the door back with great effort.

She was going to call out for her mother, but Michelle then decided it would be more fun to surprise Misty with her presence. Giggling quietly behind her little hand, Michelle began to sneak around, wondering where her mother could possibly be in the house. While tip toeing her way through the kitchen, Michelle caught sight of her mother's white sandal from just behind the counter. This made her tilt her head in curiosity. Whatever was her mommy doing back there?

Still not uttering a single word, Michelle scurried towards the counter, right over to where she could see her mother's foot. The huge smile that was set on Michelle's face at the idea of surprising her mother quickly vanished, however, when Michelle saw her mother.

The older red head was sitting on the cool tile floor, one leg stretched out in front of her while the other one was bent at the knee. Her arms were wrapped around her beach ball sized stomach, and she was breathing heavily and panting as though she had just run a long race.

"M…Mommy?" Michelle whimpered.

_This _caught Misty's attention right away. She raised her head and gasped at the sight of her daughter, standing only feet away from her and trembling in fear.

"Hi Michelle," Misty breathed, trying to remain calm. "What are you doing here?"

"I…was looking for you," Michelle frowned. She began to move closer to Misty, which the gym leader wasn't so sure was a good idea. She didn't tell her daughter to stay away, however. Misty felt the need for her child, and as selfish as it sounded, she wanted the young girl to keep moving towards her. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

Misty let out a short puff of air, which separated some of her bangs from her sweaty forehead. "Yes baby girl. Everything is…perfect."

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Michelle countered almost immediately.

"Because…I'm still very hot," Misty explained in a shaky voice. "And the floor is cool. I feel better down here, sweetie."

Still frowning, Michelle sat down on her knees next to Misty and reached out to place a hand her mother's stomach. Misty noticed too late, and was unable to warn her daughter not to touch the bump. Feeling horrified, Misty watched in terror as Michelle's fingers brushed against her belly.

"Mommy!" Michelle cried, yanking her hand away and clutching it in her other fingers, "something is wrong with your tummy!"

"There's nothing wrong, sweetheart," Misty frantically shook her head. Michelle only began to look more flustered, and the grip on her hand tightened.

"Yes there is! It's hard, like a rock!" Sniveling softly, Michelle asked in a timid voice, "is something wrong with my baby sister?"

"No honey, she's okay," Misty took her young daughter's hands into her own and held them tight. "It's just…well…she's ready to come out now."

Michelle's eyes widened at this. "Baby sister is coming _now?_"

"Yes, she is," Misty stroked the top of Michelle's hand with her thumb.

"But…you said she wasn't going to be here for another few weeks."

"That's when she was _supposed _to be born, Shelly. But obviously she doesn't want to be in my belly anymore."

Misty held back a sob. She was scared…terrified actually. Here she was, sitting on the floor of her kitchen, in early labor, and only with her five year old daughter, who seemed even more freaked out than Misty did. Worst of all, Misty has absolutely _no _idea where Ash was. Her biggest fear was him missing the birth of their child.

Groaning, Misty leaned her head back and rested it against the cabinet doors. She was in trouble, and she knew it.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry. I'm mean. I really, really am. I just love those cliffhangers, teehee.<strong>

**Yep, so now the baby is on her way. Aaaand Misty has no clue where Ash is. It's gonna be a wild ride! So stay tuned for the fun :P Also, this story is now officially longer than it's predecessor! Double Trouble had 24 chapters, and this _is_ chapter 24. I'm still not sure of how long this one will be, since I'm still in the process of writing. You'll be happy to know that the next chapter is already done, as well! Just needs a checking over ;)**

**Thanks for all of your reviews and suppourt! We're REALLY close to beating the reviews from Double Trouble, which will officially make this story my most reviewed one! I love you guys, all of your suppourt and reviews are just fantastic! Keep them coming, you all rock!**


	25. Lacking a Support System

**More story! Yay! I really should space out the updates more. But I really hate just having finished chapters sitting around, and I know you guys are all excited to see what happens next (since this is really the biggest part of the story, here!) so I guess it's not too big of a deal :P Besides, the baby's arrival is going to be one whole, long saga in itself because, I will admit, the baby is my absolute favorite OC (yes, I'm playing favorites...I feel so guilty!) and I want to draw out her introduction for as long as possible. Just because I love her so much :P**

**This chapter also brings an appearance from a character we haven't seen in awhile! Can you guess who it is? Well, I'm certainly not going to tell you. You'll just have to read and find out who it is. I promise you won't miss it :P**

* * *

><p>Misty could practically feel her eyes crossing. She was in an <em>immense <em>amount of pain, and couldn't scream for fear of frightening the young girl who sat beside her. Michelle looked worried already, and Misty knew she had to try and comfort her. Sitting around and crying wasn't going to get them anywhere fast.

"Wow, your little sister is pretty impatient!" Misty laughed weakly. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Daddy?" Michelle asked quietly.

"Yes, Daddy…" Misty breathed out heavily and leaned back against the cabinets for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. "Where oh where is Daddy?"

"I can find him Mommy!" Michelle cried, excited by the prospect of helping her mother.

"Do you know where he is, sweetheart?" A new surge of hope rose through Misty's heart.

"No," Michelle frowned, suddenly seeming rather discouraged. Shaking it off quickly, she continued on more confidently, "I'll look for him though! I know all the places where Daddy likes to go."

"If you think you can find him, I trust you little girl," Misty smiled weakly.

"But I don't want to leave you alone," Michelle grew concerned again. "What if the baby wants to be born _now?_"

"She doesn't want to be born right now, its okay," Misty reassured her daughter. "I promise you that I will be just fine on my own."

"Pinky promise?" Michelle narrowed her eyes as she held out her smallest finger.

"Yes, pinky promise," Misty giggled quietly and locked fingers with the little red head. Michelle gave one last nod before darting towards the door, eager to find her father.

As soon as Misty heard the door close, she let out a long and loud moan, pressing a hand against the underside of her stomach. _This is going to be a long, long day, _Misty thought miserably, as the baby delivered a disgruntled kick for good measure.

**XXX**

Michelle found it a wonder that she was able to run past the gaggle of adults without being seen. They were all obsessed with her, which Michelle usually loved. Being the center of attention was what the little girl believed she was best at.

But now was not the time to be fawned over by the grownups. Her Mommy was in a tough spot, and she had entrusted Michelle to help her. So that's what the girl was going to do.

Once Michelle was sure she was out of earshot from the adults, she began to turn her head left from right and call out "Daddy!" in hopes of finding her father. She knew he had a habit of running off to obscure and secluded places, mostly to train his Pokémon. Maybe that's what he was up to! But Michelle certainly found that weird to do when her mother was having a party for the baby.

One that her father had taken the time to plan himself.

"Daddy!" Michelle called again before running forward. She didn't want to go too deep into the forested outskirts of the city; her parents had always told her not too, and even though Misty had asked Michelle to find Ash, the young girl assumed her mother would still not be pleased with her breaking their rules.

Michelle grimaced. She wasn't sure what to do. Would she disobey her parents and get herself into a potentially dangerous situation? Or would she just turn around and let her mother down?

"I'm confused," Michelle huffed as she crossed her little arms. She was only five years old, and not used to thinking so hard. She didn't quite like it, either.

"Huh. No wonder Daddy hates thinking so much."

**XXX**

"We've almost got him, Pikachu! Finish Umbreon off with a good thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded before jumping in the air and collecting all of his electricity to unleash the attack. "Pi…ka…CHU!"

Gary gasped. It was amazing that Pikachu still had that much energy left. The little electric mouse had taken some pretty good hits in the battle so far, but he'd shown no signs of fatigue or wear. Ash really did a marvelous job of training and caring for his Pokémon.

"Umbreon, dodge it!" Gary cried in desperation. Really, the command was just for show. Gary knew that Umbreon was too tired to move another muscle. The dark type was panting and hardly standing on his legs. But, just like his trainer, the moonlight Pokémon wouldn't give up without a fight.

He did attempt to move out of the way, but it was no use. Umbreon was moving far too slow, and the thunderbolt hit his dark body nearly head on. Crying out in pain, Umbreon stumbled for a step or two before falling down onto his side. Pikachu landed back on his paws, breathing heavily as his ears began to wilt.

"Atta boy, Pikachu," Ash grinned.

"Pi…ka…" Pikachu panted, looking over his shoulder to smile wearily at his trainer. Ash took immediate notice of Pikachu's exhausted state and made a mental note to himself.

"Umbreon is down for the count," Gary sighed. Kneeling down next to the weakened Pokémon, the Pokémon researcher gently stroked his partner's head and complimented, "you fought really hard, Umbreon. I'm proud of you. You deserve a nice rest." Retrieving Umbreon's poke ball, Gary returned his most faithful creature to the safe haven of his ball before getting back to his feet and smirking at the clearly satisfied Ash. "Pretty talented, I must say."

"Well, there _is _a reason they call me the Pokémon Master," Ash placed his hands on his hips as he proudly puffed his chest out.

"Yay, Daddy and Pikachu!" Aiden cheered from the sidelines. "You win!"

"Just this round, buddy," Ash turned towards his son and winked. "We've still got another round to go!"

"_Two_ more, once you go down after this one," Gary chuckled mischievously as he whipped out the sphere that contained his next Pokémon.

"Keep on dreaming, Gary," Ash chuckled. Looking down at Pikachu, Ash proposed, "Hey Pikachu, why don't you sit this one out? You just fought a great battle, and I think you could use a nice rest."

"Ka," Pikachu chirped, skipping away from the space that had been determined as the battle field. Making his way over to Aiden, Pikachu yawned and rested himself against the young boy's legs. Giggling, Aiden scooped up the furry yellow creature and held him in his arms, watching as the tired Pokémon fell asleep in his grasp.

"Let's see what this matchup is gonna be," Drew rubbed his chin.

"I hope it's just as good as the last one!" Aiden squeaked.

"I'll send my Pokémon out first this time," Ash called as he plucked a poke ball off of his belt. Holding it in front of himself, Ash pressed the center button and called, "Emboar, I choose you!"

Before Ash appeared the five foot tall fire type, his eyes narrowed in determination. From behind his mega fire pig Pokémon, Ash smirked. His Pokémon were always ready for battle and to try their hardest, just like him.

"A fire type, huh?" Gary murmured. "Looks like my choice will be perfect!"

"I like Emboar," Aiden looked up at Drew. "Isn't he a cool Pokémon?"

"I've never really seen one like him before," Drew mused.

"That's because he's from Unova!" Aiden grinned. "Right Daddy?"

"That's right, son!" Ash chuckled. "You're such a good learner. I'm proud of you, champ!"

"Yay!" Aiden hugged Pikachu more closely. "I'm going to be a Pokémon master just like Daddy! Because I'm smart."

"I don't think being smart has anything to do with being Pokémon master, little guy," Drew patted Aiden on the head.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Ash whipped around and waved his hands in the air like a crazed man.

"Nothing," Drew snickered.

"Hey, Ashy boy, we gonna battle or what?" Gary's voice turned Ash's attention back onto the battle field.

"Yes, we are. And I told you to quit calling me that!"

"Only did it to get your attention," Gary shrugged nonchalantly. Tossing his poke ball, he called, "alright old friend, let's give Ash and Emboar a good fight!"

Materializing in front of Gary was his very first Pokémon: Blastoise. The appearance of the shellfish Pokémon caused Aiden to start yelling and jumping up and down, which startled Drew and piqued Ash's interest.

"What's gotten into you, Aiden?" Ash blinked.

"Blastoise! It's Blastoise!" Aiden shrieked excitedly, waking up Pikachu in the process. The electric type grumbled in annoyance, but was otherwise too tired to do anything about it.

"Right, that's your favorite Pokémon!" Ash chuckled.

"He's so cool!" Aiden's eyes were sparkling like chocolate diamonds. "And Gary's Blastoise is super strong! Plus, he's a water type, and Emboar is a fire type! So Blastoise has the advantage! I can't _wait_ to watch this battle!"

"Well, well, well," Gary folded his arms. "Looks like your son has crossed enemy lines!"

"Huh?" Ash gasped and turned his head between Blastoise and Aiden. "Aiden! Come on little buddy, you're supposed to be on _my _side!"

"I am, Daddy," Aiden smiled reassuringly at his father, "but I really like Blastoise, and I kind of want him to win! Only because he's so cool."

Ash had no response. He could only stand there with his mouth hanging open while Gary and Drew laughed at the poor master's misfortune. Aiden, meanwhile, looked completely unaffected. He kept that serene little smile on his face, clearly eager to watch Blastoise battle.

"I can't believe this," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. "My own son is on Gary's side."

"Not Gary," Aiden narrowed his eyes in aggravation. "_Blastoise._"

"Either way," Ash's shoulders slumped.

"Alright, enough complaining," Gary commanded his former rival. "So you lost your kid's support for one round. I'm glad to take it! Now get your act together and battle me."

"Yeah yeah," Ash rolled his eyes. "Come on Emboar; let's show Gary _and_ Aiden wrong! Use flame charge!"

**XXX**

"It really is taking Misty an awfully long time to come back out here."

May frowned as she glanced at the worried Dawn. "You're right," May agreed. "And Michelle hasn't come back since she went to check on her."

"Maybe we should go inside and make sure everything is okay," Iris suggested.

"Now girls, I'm sure Misty is just fine!" Delia giggled as she waved her hand at the three concerned women. "She's a very independent girl, you know. I'm sure Michelle has just sidetracked her is all. Misty does anything for that beautiful little girl, and she's _very_ good at distracting her mother."

"That's true," May bit her lip.

"By the way, Delia, where are Misty's parents?" Dawn asked. "I thought that surely they would've come to their own daughter's baby shower. Didn't Ash invite them?"

"Yes, he did," Delia sighed, the subject clearly disheartening her. "But they couldn't come. They left on a trip for her father's job just a few days ago."

"When will they be back?" Iris didn't quite understand the timing of this trip. The two other girls didn't seem to either.

"I wish we knew," Delia shook her head. Looking around to make sure Daisy, Violet, and Lily were nowhere in ear shot, Delia continued, "Misty's parents just seem to come and go as they please. This is why Misty has such trust issues with them. She really isn't all too close with her parents. They want to have a normal relationship with her, and I just can't blame Misty for her hesitance."

"How in the world could they go away so close to when their granddaughter is supposed to be born?" May seemed appalled by such a thought. "Doesn't that mean anything to them? I know my parents wouldn't have missed Damien or Rosie's births for anything!"

"I don't understand it either," Delia agreed. "Misty and the baby are my biggest concerns at the moment. I feel bad enough being in Pallet Town when it's so close to Misty's due date! I wasn't able to be there for Aiden and Michelle's birth, because Ash and Misty got stuck in the Sevii Islands. Missing that just tore me apart on the inside! I wouldn't miss the new baby's arrival for anything in the world."

"Poor Misty," Dawn frowned. "That must feel terrible."

"That's why she and Ash work so well together, I think," Delia smiled gently. "Ash knows what it's like to grow up without a father. But he did have me. Misty didn't grow up with either of her parents. They just left her and her sisters with a relative. She didn't have a happy childhood, and Ash is well aware of that. That's part of the reason he takes such good care of Misty. Ash wants to make sure Misty feels loved and secure, which is why he gives her all of his attention. He's her entire support system, and Misty seems totally fine with that. Ash is the first thing she ever really loved."

"That's so sweet," Iris cooed.

"And then Aiden and Michelle came along," Delia looked up towards the sky. "Misty once told me she'd never known that kind of love was possible. She just didn't believe it. And I know she feels the same way about her baby girl. She's got the kind of family now that she never believed she could have."

"I never knew that," Dawn blinked. She had always thought that Misty had grown up well. Maybe it was because she came from a long line of gym leaders. Clearly, that didn't mean a thing.

"Yeah, we should definitely give Misty and Michelle some more time alone," May smiled. "I'm sure that everything is okay."

**XXX**

Misty was basically in tears at this point. The pain was getting worse and worse with each passing moment, and her contractions were growing closer together. At this point, Misty was surprised her water hadn't broken yet.

"Oh, why'd you have to come early?" Misty whined as she held her giant belly with both hands. It shifted underneath her palms, and Misty felt the baby move a little further down. She gasped and let out a reluctant sob, wondering where in the world Michelle could've gone. _Oh, that was so stupid of me. Michelle said she didn't know where Ash was, but I sent her out anyway! My poor little girl…what if she's lost? What if something bad happened to her?_

Misty's stressful thinking proved to bother the baby, who twisted around in her cramped space. The movements brought Misty's pain to an unbearable level, causing her to finally let out a torturous cry.

"Misty, what in heaven's name are you doing on the floor?"

The gym leader's head snapped up, wondering what divine voice was speaking out to her. She didn't even care _who _it was at this point; as long as they could help her, Misty was grateful for their presence.

Upon seeing who it was, Misty's heart wanted to drop. But she wasn't about to contradict her last thought. She needed help, and this man was going to give it to her whether he wanted to or not.

"Scott!" Misty gasped, using almost all of the air left in her lungs to utter just his name.

"Well, you've certainly gotten bigger since the last time I saw you," Scott folded his arms and smirked. "A big baby, eh? Are you sure that's not a Marill you've got in there?"

"Oh what, because they're round?" Misty narrowed her eyes. She _really _wished that Scott wouldn't have to be her last resort. "That's not funny, you know!"

"I was just playing with-"Scott's reply was cut off by a sudden moan from Misty. She hadn't meant to interrupt him, as much as he was annoying her. But another contraction had hit, and this one was particularly bad.

Confused by Misty's cry, Scott lowered his sunglasses, and was unpleasantly surprised by Misty's physical appearance.

"My goodness, dear, you're pale as a ghost!" Scott breathed. All of her color had in fact drained, except for her cheeks, which were beginning to glow a faint shade of red. Her hair was stuck to her forehead thanks to all of the sweat her body was drenched in, and her arms and legs were trembling. Moving closer to Misty, he leaned over and asked, "Are you alright?"

"N…no…" Misty wept, some tears falling out of her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm…in labor," Misty winced. At this, Scott's eyes grew wide.

"You mean…the baby…" He couldn't finish that thought.

"The baby is coming?" Misty finished for the stunned man. "Yes, she is."

"Okay…okay…" Scott began to pace back and forth. "Breathe, Scott…just breathe…"

"Excuse me, but you're not the one having the baby here!" Misty snapped.

"You're right, you are right!" Scott stopped in his tracks and pushed his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I am _not _the one who is about to give birth. No, that's you!"

"A brilliant deduction," Misty rolled her eyes. The baby kicked her, causing Misty to whimper, "Okay, baby girl, I get it. You don't think I'm funny!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Scott inquired. He was breathing in and out very deeply, still panicking over Misty's current problem.

"Do you have your car with you?" Misty panted.

"Yes…"

"Good. You can take me to the hospital."

"But…you're all alone, Misty," Scott's tone was sweet and caring, which surprised Misty. "Ash isn't even around. Where did he go?"

Misty didn't want to answer that question. More often than not, Scott was more concerned with Ash than he was with her. It made sense, after all: he was Ash's manager. But at the moment, Scott needed to be focused on Misty, and she knew if she told Scott she had no idea where Ash was, the man would begin to freak out again and probably run off to find him.

"It's fine, I'm used to being alone," Misty growled, her heart dropping at this. Her own _parents _weren't even here for this. Everyone was just letting her down at this point. It was no use fighting anymore. "I just _really _need to go to the hospital, because I think this little girl is in a hurry. Will you please help me?"

"Of course I will," Scott nodded. "If this is really what you want."

"It is," Misty replied unenthusiastically. "Now…help me up. I'm kind of stuck down here."

Nodding yet again, Scott knelt down next to Misty and wrapped his arm around her back. He pulled her up, although it took quite awhile, since Scott wasn't the most in shape person you would ever meet. Misty gripped at his shoulders and groaned yet again, resting her body against Scott's.

"Mi…Misty…" Scott stammered nervously. "I don't think Ash would approve of this!"

"Scott, for the love of Arceus, I'm not making a move on you," Misty closed her eyes in frustration. "I'm in _a lot _of pain, and I can barely stand up on my own."

"Okay, well then…we'd better hurry," Scott pulled Misty away from himself but kept his arm around her back. "Let's go, baby mommy."

"Scott?" Misty grunted.

"Yes, Misty?"

"Don't you _ever _call me that again."

**XXX**

"Daddy…Daddy…"

Michelle was getting _really _bored now. She was dragging her feet, and didn't much feel like searching for her father anymore. She told her mother she would find him, but it seemed like a lost cause at this point. Michelle wondered how her mother was doing. It didn't seem too good when she left.

Michelle stopped in her tracks and began to think again. She knew that she was supposed to find her Daddy, but…maybe she should go back and tell the other adults what was going on with her mother. That certainly seemed like a better idea at this point, because Michelle had no idea where her father could be.

Making a final decision, Michelle turned around and began racing back towards the house, her past the shoulder length red hair flying out behind her like an orange streak.

_Don't worry Mommy, _Michelle thought as she began to run even faster, _I'm going to help you! I promise!_

**XXX**

"OW! Scott, you need to drive slower!"

Scott's jaw dropped in disbelief. Turning towards Misty, he cried, "You told me to get you to the hospital as fast as I could!"

"Yeah, and by that, I meant as fast as you could at the _speed limit!_" Misty snapped. "And you need to drive more carefully, too! Going over all these bumps is knocking my stomach around!"

"Isn't the baby doing that already?" Scott shivered at the thought.

"Yes, but not as bad your reckless driving is!" Misty threw her head back. Biting back a yell, she hissed, "just be more careful."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Scott gripped the wheel more tightly and lessened how much his foot was pressing against the gas pedal. The car began to slow down, and the inhabitants were more settled in their seats.

"See?" Misty breathed out tiredly. She was already exhausted, and she hadn't even been in labor for an hour at this point. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"No," Scott sighed, beginning to pry his fingers from the steering wheel. "I suppose not."

Misty saw that the panic was still evident on Scott's face. It amused her, in a way. He was freaking out more than she imagined Ash would. Well, maybe now Ash would be a little more nervous than last time, since he had no idea where she was at the moment. Hell, he didn't even know their baby was coming. Still, though, Misty found it kind of delightful.

"Scott, have you ever had a girlfriend?" Misty asked curiously, resting her head in her hand as she set her elbow on the door next to her.

"Yes. Several. Why do you ask?"

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" Misty put forth another question, basically ignoring Scott's inquiry.

"I've considered it, I suppose. You and Ash seem happy. But I haven't found the proper woman yet. No one that I feel the need to marry."

"Hmm," Misty hummed quietly.

"These questions are all very strange," Scott raised one eyebrow above his dark sunglasses. "Why the sudden interest?"

"No real reason," Misty shrugged. A little smirk growing on her face, the gym leader quipped, "I just don't know if you're fit to be bringing a child into this world. I mean, if you're this nervous with _me, _imagine how you would be with your own pregnant wife."

"WHAT?" Scott shrieked. His sunglasses nearly fell of his face, and Misty covered her mouth to hide the fact that she was laughing. Her joyful disposition disappeared in seconds, however, as the flustered Scott slammed down on the gas pedal and the car sped over a shallow hole in the ground. Misty flew up out of her seat and landed back down harshly.

"OWW!" Misty screamed, grabbing onto her stomach. She was panting heavily afterwards, clenching her teeth together as a horrific pain traveled through her body. And then, without any other warning, a new problem presented itself to Misty.

"Misty…why in the world would you ever think of me as a father?" Scott covered his wide eyes with his sunglasses as he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose. "Even if I were to get married…I would never have _children_, Misty. I get enough from your two. And I bet that new little girl will prove to be a challenge for me as well!"

"Uh…uh oh…" Misty began to shift her legs around uncomfortably.

"Yes, uh oh indeed," Scott sighed. "I certainly hope she's more calm than the twins, you know. I don't particularly enjoy being viewed as a human jungle gym."

"S…Scott…" Misty sobbed, unable to hold back her fear any longer.

The Pokémon master's manager was still missing the point, however. "Oh, you don't have to cry for me, Misty. It isn't even your fault. I know that old saying, kids will be kids, and I think that-"

"SCOTT!" Misty bellowed.

"What?" Scott looked over at Misty. "I thought I was addressing your question."

"Not…my…concern…right…now…" Misty puffed.

"Why are you breathing like that?" Scott's eyes began to trail down, "are you in a lot of pain…oh my…"

His jaw dropped again. This time, it was not by what had come out of Misty's mouth. It was instead the giant wet spot on the bottom of her dress…and on the seat of his car.

"What the hell is that?" Scott muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from it.

"My…my water broke," Misty quivered.

"And…all over my car!" Scott shrieked. He looked over even more, finding that the floor was soaked as well. "I knew it! This kid is giving me problems already! Oh, Arceus…my poor baby!" He sounded like he was about to break out into tears.

"_Your _poor baby?" Misty's eyes lit up like emerald fire. "This is a freaking _car_, Scott! I've got a _real _baby on her way, and you're worried about your damn car! I swear as soon as I get this kid out of me that you're a dead man!"

Scott gulped. He didn't want to admit it, but more often than not, he was quite afraid of Misty. Sure, she could be an absolute sweetheart when she wanted to be. But whenever Misty was agitated, well…it was an entirely different story.

The worst contraction yet hit Misty, and she sunk down in her seat, moaning and panting and barely able to breathe. Scott bit his lip. Misty may have been scaring him right about now, but he wasn't about to just leave her alone in her suffering.

"We're almost there, Misty," Scott smiled gently as he placed a hand on the gym leader's shoulder. "I promise."

**XXX**

"May! Dawn! Iris! Grammy!"

The group of women all looked at one another, wondering who was calling their names, and where it was coming from.

"Wait…Grammy…" Delia gasped. "Only Aiden and Michelle call me that!"

Seconds later, Michelle appeared before the confused adults, her emerald eyes going wild.

"Sweetie, what's going on?" Delia kneeled down in front of the girl and held her close. "You seem so startled!"

"Wait…Michelle, did you just come out of the forest?" May suddenly realized that Michelle had come out of an obscure direction: not from the direction where the house was.

"Uh huh," Michelle nodded, her mouth bending into a frown.

"Baby girl, you don't look happy," Delia was quickly becoming concerned. "Something's not right, is it?"

"No," Michelle shook her head this time. "Grammy, I'm scared. I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what, dear?"

"Mommy told me to find Daddy, and I couldn't," Michelle finally began to cry, the warm tears slipping out of her eyes. "I promised her that I would! I'm bad, Grammy! She needed him, and I did bad!"

"Michelle, honey, don't cry!" Delia hugged the girl tightly. "Oh, sweet girl. You could never upset your Mommy. Where is she? Is she still in the house?"

"I don't know," Michelle sniffed.

"Why did she need Daddy?"

"Because the baby is coming," Michelle answered timidly.

"WHAT?" Delia shrieked. From behind her, the three younger women all gasped and immediately scrambled to their feet. They all wanted to go help Misty, and bolted towards the house as a reflex.

"I couldn't find Daddy," Michelle repeated, more tears falling down her cheeks. "I couldn't, Grammy."

"Shh, it's okay, darling," Delia breathed out shakily as she gently rocked the child back and forth. "Everything will be okay. We'll find Daddy, alright?"

Michelle whimpered, but eventually nodded in a slow and reluctant fashion. She wanted to believe her grandmother, but the young girl just couldn't ignore the strange feeling that was tugging at her heart.

"Misty is gone!"

Delia and Michelle both looked up to find May, flushed in the face and eyes wide with fear.

"Where's my Mommy?" Michelle demanded, tearing away from Delia and running over to May with a look of horror plastered onto her young and pretty face.

"I don't know, sweetheart," May looked even more frightened than before. "But I went inside, and I can't find her anywhere. Dawn and Iris aren't having any luck either."

Michelle covered her eyes with her hands and began to cry even harder. Gasping softly, May gathered the young girl into her arms and held her close, rubbing the child's back in an attempt to calm her down.

"We need to take this one step at a time," Delia ran a shaky hand through her auburn hair. "May, do you have a cell phone on you?"

"Yes."

"Good. You should call Ash and tell him what's going on. Once he knows that the baby is coming, we'll be able to think about our next move."

"Okay, I'll call him right now," May nodded. Without letting go of Michelle, she reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone, finding Ash's name in her contacts and calling his number.

Holding the phone against her ear, May tightened her grip on Michelle as the girl began to cry a little more loudly.

"Please, Ash, pick up…pick up…" May murmured to herself.

**XXX**

"That's it, Blastoise! Now, use hydro pump!"

"Toise!" Blastoise leaned forward slightly, the two cannons on his back firing off twin blasts of water.

"Emboar, quick, get out of the way!" Ash cried. It was no use, however. The attack hit Emboar head on, and the already exhausted fire type was soon completely out of it.

"Well, well, it looks like we're tied at one a piece," Gary smirked.

"Yep," Ash returned the mischievous action. Grabbing Emboar's poke ball, Ash held it out and returned the unconscious Pokémon. "Nice work, Emboar," Ash looked at the red and white sphere. "Take a nice, long rest now."

As Ash clipped the poke ball back onto his belt, the sound of his phone ringing filled the air. All eyes fell on Ash, who was quick to take the phone into his hands and stare absent mindedly at the screen.

"Who is it, Daddy?" Aiden squeaked.

"It's May," Ash blinked.

"Don't answer her," Aiden whined. "Battle more!"

"I just have to see what she wants, buddy," Ash smiled reassuringly at his young son. "It shouldn't take too long." Accepting the call, Ash raised the phone to his ear and asked, "what's up, May?"

"…"

"What do you mean "where am I?" Does it matter?"

"…"

"Okay, well, could you _maybe _stop yelling and tell me what you need?"

"…"

"What do you mean you can't find Misty?" Ash narrowed his eyes.

"…"

"SHE'S IN LABOR?"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, Ash is aware now, at least. But he still has no idea that his poor manager is stuck with Misty. So...one step at a time, I suppouse.<strong>

**Misty's family (in my head canon, at least :P) is this whole, really complex thing that I plan on writing a whole story about later on. There are subtle little hints about it throughout this story though (in this chapter and upcoming ones) that will clue you in on Misty's relationship with her parents. It isn't a good one, I'll tell you that much. But it's kind of an important plot point from here on out.**

**Remember, we're trying to get to 250 reviews here! We're pretty close, actually. This story is about to become my most reviewed, which is super exciting! Thanks to all you guys who have read and reviewed and all of that. I'll continue writing and try to provide you guys with updates as soon as possible, since you're all so awesome :)**


	26. Misty in Misery

**Hey guys! Another chapter for you all. Hooray for quick updates ^^**

**So, at the end of last chapter, Ash finally learned that Misty was having the baby. Only problem is...no one knows where she is still. So, Ash is gonna have to find that out? How will he do that? Let's find out.**

* * *

><p>Ash could feel his heart beating in his throat. He was still holding his phone against the side of his head, and May was still yelling at him from the other end. Ash was aware of all of this, but he couldn't do anything about it.<p>

It was as if all of the feeling in his body had just disappeared.

Every nerve was numb; every breath taken was long, difficult, and shallow. His eyes were going out of focus, and it felt as though a giant weight had been dropped on his shoulders. It wasn't until May screamed his name so loudly through the phone that it shook Ash's core that he could even think to respond.

"I…I'm coming back now…just wait…"

Ash slowly lowered the phone and disconnected the call. After that, he stopped moving once again. He just stared at the screen of the phone that rested in his palm, suddenly feeling quite nauseous and lightheaded.

"Come on Ash!"

A swift smack against the cheek is what _really _brought Ash back to reality. He snapped his head up in shock, eyes locking with the narrowed ones of his childhood rival.

"Gary, what the…"

"Misty is in labor," Gary hissed, as if Ash hadn't heard May the first time. "We have to go back. _Now._"

"I…I know…" Ash stammered.

Aiden, meanwhile, was simply looking between the three adults, confused as to what was going on.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy? Is she sick?"

"N…no, little buddy," Ash slowly shook his head. "She's not."

"What's labor?" Aiden scrunched his nose up. The word sounded weird, and he had absolutely no idea what it meant. He wondered if it was bad. All the grownups seemed to be getting kind of nervous.

Ash couldn't find the courage to answer, so Drew decided to take it upon himself and explain the term to the young boy. Kneeling down, he clarified, "Aiden, what that means is, well, your Mommy is going to have the baby very soon."

"But Mommy said the baby wasn't coming until a few more weeks," Aiden argued. She knew best, after all. There was no way the baby was going to be born now.

"I know, little guy, but sometimes the baby has other plans," Drew smiled gently at the child. "She doesn't care when she was supposed to come out. She wants out now."

"Daddy, we have to go help Mommy!" Aiden turned around and called out to his father.

"Ri…right…" Ash trembled. He tried to move, but he couldn't. It was as if his feet were glued to the forest ground.

"Ash, for the love of Arceus, LET'S GO!" Gary barked.

The gears in Ash's brain slowly began to turn, and all of a sudden, the situation he was now finding himself in seemed much more real. Adrenaline began to rush through his veins, reinvigorating his system and causing his eyes to snap open wide. Without a warning, Ash turned on a heel and bolted from the clearing, running back towards the house as fast as his legs would take him.

Gary, Drew, and Aiden watched in surprise, but their calm stupor didn't last for long. They were soon following behind, although Aiden was not running along with the adults, but rather squirming and vehemently protesting from Drew's arms.

"Sorry, little guy, but you can't run as fast as us," Drew chuckled.

"Can too!" Aiden retorted.

"That kid is just like his father," Gary laughed. "Feisty and impatient."

"Yeah, and it looks like this new kid may be just like him too," Drew frowned, wondering if they would be able to get back in time to help Misty.

**XXX**

When it came time to give birth to her daughter, Misty expected to be in a creepy, dauntingly gross hospital room, sitting on an uncomfortable bed, and suffering from unimaginable pain.

What she didn't expect, however, was to be all alone in that miserable room, with no one there to hold her hand from the awful bed and help her through the terrible pain.

Misty also didn't think she'd be crying like a lost little girl, sobbing uncontrollably as she repeatedly muttered to herself, "I want Ash."

As Misty sat there, wallowing in her own pain and misery, the door to her room made a creaking sound and began to open. Her heart leapt at the simple noise, a faint hope rising in her mind that it would be Ash emerging from behind the door.

Unfortunately for the gym leader, it was not her handsome husband, but rather Scott, who had an extremely hesitant look on his face.

"What?" Misty hiccupped, raising a hand to rub at her eyes and try to clear some tears away.

"I was just checking on you," Scott replied nervously. "I didn't want to do it while the doctor was looking at you."

"He hasn't come in here yet," Misty huffed. "Just a bunch of…stupid nurses."

"Still in pain, huh?" Scott smiled despite himself.

"Well, it's not going to go away just like that," Misty grumbled. As if on cue, another contraction hit her, and Misty let out a heart wrenching cry.

"Oh…okay…well then," Scott nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm just gonna…go back into the waiting room now…"

"S…Scott…" Misty whimpered, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"What is it?" Scott tried to back away a little bit.

"D…don't leave…" Misty sobbed.

Scott was shocked by Misty's plea. Even _Misty _wasn't sure what she was doing. She was used to being alone. Misty had practically _grown up_ alone. And even though she thought she could go through this whole having a baby thing on her own…she just couldn't.

"Misty…I don't know how to help you," Scott blinked behind his dark sunglasses. He was panicking on the inside. Being stuck alone with Misty, who usually wanted to hit him even _without _he intense labor pains, was not an ideal situation for Scott to be in.

"Just hold my hand…please…" Misty begged.

Biting his lip, Scott began to move forward, his fingers nervously flexing as he approached the bed. Misty just watched him with dull and frightened eyes, wanting nothing more than a hand to hold onto and someone to help her feel better.

Ending up at Misty's side, Scott held out a trembling hand, which Misty quickly took and began to squeeze the life out of as she finished weathering the contraction.

"OUCH!" Scott cried, trying to pull his hand away. Misty's grip was far too tight, however, and it remained in her grasp. "Oooh, I think my hand is broken!"

"Suck it up," Misty panted. She let go of Scott, and he quickly began to examine his hand for any apparent injury. "I'm going to need that back when another contraction comes along."

"I don't think so!" Scott shook his head feverously. "I'm surprised I don't have any bruises forming yet!"

"I'm preparing to give birth to a _human being_," Misty rolled her eyes. "You can take a sore hand."

"I don't think I can…" Scott whimpered. "Now I see why Ash was complaining so much the first time around!"

The mention of Ash's name sent Misty's hormones into overdrive. She burst back into tears, covering her eyes with her hands as she cried. Scott didn't understand why Misty had just broken out into uncontrollable sobs. Had he said something? Done something? He couldn't be sure. The gym leader was a very volatile woman.

"Is everything okay?" Scott asked quietly.

"N…no," Misty shook her head. "I…I want Ash. I don't know where Ash is, and I want him!"

"Oh…uh…don't cry, Misty!" Scott tried to soothe the gym leader by stroking her hair with his undamaged hand. "I'm sure Ash will find us eventually-"

"No he won't!" Misty sobbed. "He has no idea where I am! He doesn't even know that the baby is coming! Ash is going to miss his daughter's birth, and…and…it's not fair!"

Misty's wails increased, and Scott began to run out of ideas on how to comfort her. Suddenly, he got an idea, one that he was mentally smacking himself over for not thinking of earlier.

"Misty, what if I call Ash?" Scott asked her. Misty sniffled and looked up at her husband's manager, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I can call him and tell him where we are. And then he'll know to come here. How about that?"

Misty slowly nodded her head, and as Scott reached for his cell phone, Misty croaked, "don't leave me."

"I'm not going to leave you, dear," Scott reassured the tired red head. Dialing Ash's number, Scott raised the phone to his ear and silently prayed for the Pokémon master to pick up.

**XXX**

"This is ridiculous. She's in _labor. _There's no way Misty could've gotten that far!"

Delia and Michelle watched as Ash flew around the backyard, searching behind every possible place that could've been used as a barrier to hide Misty. While running around, Ash hadn't seen a stray napkin on the ground, and he ended up slipping on it. Delia gasped, and Michelle ran forward, kneeling down in front of her father.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Michelle frowned.

Ash grunted, but couldn't formulate a proper response. He looked up from the ground, desperately wanting to know where in the world his wife could have gone. Was she okay? Was the baby okay? How could he do this to them? He felt like an awful husband and father at the moment.

"I don't know, baby," Ash sighed, burying his face in his hands. Michelle crawled forward and attached herself to Ash's side, nestling her head against his chest. Ash moved his hand to the back of Michelle's head and stroked it gently, taking comfort in the little girl's presence.

As Ash sat in this sad and sullen position, his cell phone began to ring from inside his pocket. Sitting up, while still keeping Michelle close to him, Ash pulled the phone out of his pocket and raised a curious eyebrow when he saw it was Scott.

Answering the call, Ash raised the phone and sighed, "Scott, now _really _isn't a good time. We're having a little bit of a problem here, and-"

"_You're looking for Misty."_

Ash's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"_Just a feeling."_

"Scott, this is serious! She's in-"

"_Labor. I know that too."_

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out," Ash shifted his eyes back and forth. "Are you secretly a psychic type Pokémon or something?"

"_Hardly. And you don't have to be concerned. I have Misty right next to me."_

"Right next to you?" Ash repeated in disbelief. "Where are you?"

"_At the hospital."_

"But how did you…get there?"

"_My car. I found Misty on the floor of your kitchen, in pain and crying and all that. She asked me to take her to the hospital, and I did."_

"Oh my…is she okay? What about the baby?"

"_I know nothing about your baby. Misty is fine, though. I mean, she's in a lot of pain, but that's normal, right? Either way, she's yelling at me and giving me abuse, so she must be okay."_

"Does she want me?" Ash asked.

"_Of course she wants you, don't be stupid!"_

"Ouch," Ash pulled the phone away from his ear before carefully putting it back. "Not so loud, Scott."

"_Just get over here. Before she breaks all of my fingers."_

"Yeah, sure thing," Ash disconnected the call and put the phone back in his pocket. Normally, he would've given Scott a snide response, but now really wasn't the time for that.

"Did you find Mommy?" Michelle blinked.

"Yes, Scott took her to the hospital," Ash nodded. "We're going to go there now so I can go keep Mommy company."

"Can I keep her company too, Daddy?" Michelle pleaded.

"Err…that might not be the best idea, princess," Ash chuckled quietly. Patting Michelle's head, he stood up and ran into the center of the yard, looking around at all his family and friends who were busy searching for the seemingly missing Misty.

"HEY!" Ash yelled, hoping to get everyone's attention. He didn't mean to be so abrupt, but this was an emergency. It worked like a charm, as everyone stopped what they were doing and set their eyes on Ash.

"Ash, dear, are you alright?" Delia frowned. "We're trying to find Misty, but-"

"I know where she is," Ash cut her off.

"You found her?" Delia's russet eyes were shining.

"Well, I didn't find her, but Scott called me. He found her inside; she was in pain, so he took her to the hospital. And that's where she is now."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dawn beamed. "Let's go!"

"Wait…you all want to come and wait around in the hospital?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Of course we do!" Iris retorted. "Your little kid decided to show up during her own party, so now we'll just have to situate ourselves over there!"

"I don't know if Misty will like this…" Ash murmured.

"Ash, are you really worrying about Misty's approval right now?" Drew cried from behind the Pokémon master. Turning around, Ash realized that he and Gary had finally caught up, and that Aiden was still squirming in Drew's arms. "We have to get to the hospital. Now. You can't leave your wife there alone! That certainly isn't going to make her happy."

"Look at my husband, using his head for once," May smirked.

"Hey!" Drew frowned.

"Alright, let's go," Ash shook his head and sent Charizard out of his poke ball without even announcing the Pokémon. Climbing onto the fire type's back, Ash alerted everyone, "I've gotta go fast. I'll see you all there."

"But Daddy!" Aiden wailed, still struggling to escape from Drew's grasp.

"Aiden, I already told Michelle, you can't come with me," Ash shook his head.

"That's not fair!" Aiden screamed. "Mommy needs me!"

"Aiden…" Ash sighed, really wanting to get going.

"Come on little guy," Brock comforted the young boy, taking him out of Drew's hold and instead placing him down by his feet. "You're going to hang with me, okay? Mommy told me awhile ago that when it came time for the baby to be born, she wanted you and your sister to stay with me. So I have to listen to her. Is that okay?"

"I guess," Aiden grumbled. He still wasn't happy with the whole situation.

"Great, thanks Brocko," Ash nodded. Patting Charizard, the orange dragon flew up into the air and flew off, Ash narrowing his eyes in determination.

**XXX**

"I WANT ASH AND I WANT HIM NOW!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Scott breathed in and out rather sharply, trying to wiggle his fingers to make sure he still had movement in his hand. It was concerning him that it was rather hard to move them. "Mi….Misty…I know you want your husband so he can help you through this-"

"So he can _help me?_" Misty stormed, no longer yelling but her tone becoming angrier. "Oh no. I want him here so I can KILL HIM! _He_ did this to me, so _he's_ going to pay!"

"And at this point, I am not at all against you doing that," Scott agreed. "Although I must admit, I feel more sympathy for him than I did last time."

Misty screamed again, and once again began squeezing Scott's hand, causing the manager to choke slightly and his face to turn completely pale.

In the middle of this contraction, the door opened slowly, and Ash's shaky figure poked his head in through the doorway.

"Oh, Misty!" Ash smiled upon seeing his wife. Realizing she was in agonizing pain, however, Ash's smile quickly faded, and he hurried over to the bed. "Misty, it's okay. I'm here now! I would've gotten here more quickly if I had actually known what room was yours. I literally walked in on like…five different women. It was _so _bad! Do you want to hold my hand so Scott can-OWW!"

Ash's offer was cut off when Misty grabbed both of his hands and clutched them with more force than Ash thought was ever possible. Scott shrunk to the floor, whimpering quietly as he nursed his injured hand, while Ash was now the one groaning in pain as Misty crushed his bones.

After another minute or so, the contraction ended, and Misty stopped gripping Ash's hands so tightly. She still held them, however, and when she noticed that he was doubled over in pain, she cooed softly and began to stroke his hands.

"Poor Ashy, I'm sorry," Misty nuzzled her cheek against his fingers.

"I…it's okay…" Ash stammered, trying not to show his wife that his eyes were watering. "You're in a lot more pain than I am."

These words seemed to resonate with Misty. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Ash and let go off his hands, instead choosing to grab at the collar of his shirt and pull the dark haired man down to her level.

"Whoa!" Ash gasped. "What's-"

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Ash Ketchum?" Misty stormed. "Where did you go?"

"Wh…what do you mean, angel?" Ash quivered slightly.

"I started getting these _stupid _pains during the party, and I couldn't find you anywhere!" Misty cried. "That's part of the reason I went into the house! I thought _maybe_ you were there…but you weren't! Where the hell did you go, huh?"

"Um…well…Gary and I were having a Pokémon battle in the-"

"YOU MORON!" Misty began to hit Ash over the head. "YOU were the one who wanted to give me the damn party in the first place, and then you RUN OFF? To have a POKÉMON BATTLE? What the hell is WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Ow! Misty…ow!" Ash tried to back away, but Misty's hold on his shirt was too strong. Instead, he raised his arms over his head and begged, "stop hitting me!"

"No way!" Misty bit, still whacking Ash. "What you did was HORRIBLE, Ash! What if…what if…" Misty sniffled, and tears soon made their way down her cheeks. "What if you had missed the birth of our daughter?"

"Oh sweetheart," Ash sighed, realizing that this was the heart of Misty's problem. He bent down at the knees, gently stroking Misty's damp cheek as he rested his head by her own. "I would never miss witnessing our daughter's birth. No matter what it took, or how I found out you were here, I would've made it."

"Ash…" Misty smiled tearfully. Ash could see the regret in her eyes from when she had just lashed out at him, but he didn't feel the need to make her apologize aloud. She was hurting, and if she really wanted to yell at him, then Ash was fine with that. If it made her feel better, then Ash would weather the storm.

The two pressed their lips together and began to kiss rather passionately, which Scott managed to pop up in time to see.

"Ugh, you two are sickeningly sweet," Scott folded his arms. He was unsure if the couple heard him, and were just trying to irritate him at this point, but Ash and Misty were soon deepening the kiss even further, until it could be deemed a full on make out session.

"Alright, that's enough of this," Scott deadpanned. Noticing Misty's hand slipping up Ash's shirt, the Pokémon master's manager rolled his eyes behind his dark sunglasses and muttered something incoherent as he left the room.

"I love you, sweetie," Misty whispered against Ash's lips when they took a break for air.

"I love you too, beautiful," Ash replied, his lips bending up into a smirk.

And then they continued their zealous lip lock without interruption.

**XXX**

The party goers had arrived at the hospital at approximately 2 o'clock in the afternoon. It was now nearing 5 o'clock, which meant Misty had been in labor for roughly three hours.

There had been literally no updates from anyone. Ash hadn't been out of the room to visit them, and no doctor had informed them of Misty's condition.

"Oh, what do you think is taking so long?" Daisy frowned.

"Babies take time, Daisy," Tracey smiled reassuringly at his wife. "You should know that, dear!"

"I know…" Daisy looked down at her hands, "but I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. I don't know why, but I'm just worried about my baby sister."

"Everything seemed fine with her, though," Violet tried to reason with her older sister. "Misty had a lot of problems with Aiden and Michelle, but this time, not so much."

"Maybe that's why Daisy has a bad feeling," Lily concluded, leaning back against her chair. "Because everything's been okay. She _is _superstitious, after all."

"I can't just sit here for another few hours, I need to go somewhere," Daisy huffed as she jumped to her feet. Looking down at Tracey, she informed him, "I'm going down to the cafeteria. I need some coffee or something. Do you want to come?"

"No, I think I'm okay here," Tracey slowly shook his head. He was too nervous to get up. Tracey was the kind of guy that, when he was nervous, it was better for him to just sit still rather than pace around.

"Violet, Lily, what about you two?" Daisy turned her sea green eyes onto her two younger sisters.

"No thanks," Violet replied blankly.

"Yeah, I don't want to go anywhere," Lily chimed in. "You know, just in case something happens."

"I don't want to go by myself," Daisy groaned. Glaring at her husband, she bit, "you really can't come with me? For fifteen minutes?"

"Daisy…" Tracey frowned.

"I'll come with you, Daisy," Dorian, Lily's husband, got up from his seat.

"Aww, thanks Dorian!" Daisy giggled. Turning an angry gaze back on Tracey, she drawled, "see? Why can't you be accommodating like Dorian?"

"Sorry dear," Tracey rolled his eyes. "I thought I gave into you _enough._"

"No, of course not," Daisy huffed. "Come along, Dorian."

The two walked towards the elevator, passing by May, Drew, Dawn, Kenny, Iris, and Cilan as they went.

"I feel so bad for not listening to Misty before," May frowned. "I should've been able to tell that she was in pain! I'm such a bad friend."

"You couldn't have known, May," Dawn comforted her fellow coordinator.

"Yeah, Misty is way too tough," Iris shook her head. "She never would have admitted any of this to us. Besides, Scott managed to get her here safe and sound. Everything is going to be just fine!"

"That's true," May smiled gently. Suddenly, her unhappy disposition returned, and she snapped, "if anything, _Drew _is the one to blame here!"

"Huh?" Drew snapped his head up. "What did _I _do?"

"You let Ash and Gary run off and have that stupid battle," May planted her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "He would've been around and known sooner that Misty was in labor if you hadn't endorsed their childish antics!"

"Ash was bored out of his mind at your lame party," Drew rolled his bright green eyes. "Besides, I'm not his keeper. What was I supposed to tell him? That he couldn't go out and do what he wants? He's a grown man, May. In charge of his own life."

"It was still dumb of you," May scoffed.

Deciding she was bored of watching May and Drew's squabble, Dawn grabbed onto her husband's arm and squealed, "Ooh, Kenny, aren't you just so excited to see the little baby?"

"Uh, yeah…sure…" Kenny chuckled nervously, having been startled by his wife's sudden action.

"You don't sound so sure," Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Ash and Misty make such cute babies!"

"Yeah, I know that," Kenny blushed slightly. "Aiden and Michelle are really adorable. I love watching them."

"So why aren't you excited?" Dawn shrieked yet again. She always expected Kenny to be just as excited as her over most things, and two of their best friends having another baby certainly fell under that category.

"Dawn, I need you to promise me something," Kenny furrowed his brow slightly. Dawn squeaked quietly and backed off, confused by her husband's serious demeanor.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I know that the baby is going to be absolutely precious, and wonderful, and you're going to be gushing over her like nothing else in the world," Kenny reasoned. "But I also know that it's going to put ideas into your head."

"Like what?" Dawn batted her eyelashes at the brown haired young man.

"You know what I'm talking about," Kenny sighed. Dawn didn't reply, but simply kept fluttering her long, black lashes. Groaning, Kenny continued, "I want to have children with you eventually, Dawn. But I'm not ready for it yet. We _just_ got married."

"So, what does this have to do with anything?" Dawn scrunched her nose up.

"Please don't go begging me to start making babies after we see Ash and Misty's daughter," Kenny smacked his forehead, clearly giving up in trying to be subtle. "I'm just not ready yet. And I know that when you want something, you don't stop until you charm your way into getting it out of me."

"What?" Dawn cried as she covered her heart with her hand. "That is _so_ not true!"

"Yes it is!"

"NO WAY!" Dawn cried in horror. Her shrill yelp caught the attention of almost everyone else in the waiting room, be it guests of the baby shower or not.

"Dawn…" Kenny covered his face, embarrassed by his wife's actions.

The quiet in the room that had been brought on after Dawn's shout was soon pierced by the sound of a grumbling stomach. It was so loud that it sounded more beast like than anything, and May had to check by her feet to make sure that Munchlax hadn't gotten out of his poke ball.

Brock was the only person in the room not alarmed by the sudden noise. Instead, he simply glanced down at Aiden, who sat beside the older man and was busily studying his shoes as if they were the most interesting things he'd ever seen.

"Aiden," Brock smirked.

"What?" Aiden murmured.

"Was that your belly?"

"No."

"Aiden," Brock chuckled.

"It wasn't me, Brock."

"Buddy…"

"It wasn't _me!_" Aiden cried, smacking his hands down on the chair. Seconds later, his stomach sounded off again, and this time, Aiden blushed at the noise.

"Wanna convince me again that it's not you?" Brock folded his arms and laughed softly.

"I can't eat," Aiden looked up at the older man with such a prominent frown that it nearly broke Brock's heart.

"Well, that's a first if I ever heard one," Delia giggled gently. Walking over to where Brock and the twins sat, Delia took a seat next to her grandson and asked, "why can't you eat, baby?"

"I can't leave, Grammy," Aiden shook his head. "I won't. Because that means I'm leaving Mommy. I can't leave her."

"But sweetheart, your Mommy is just fine," Delia stroked the boy's soft black hair. "She would definitely want you to go eat something!"

"I'm not eating until I know Mommy is okay," Aiden huffed, folding his arms as he looked away.

"That's strange," Delia murmured to herself. "I've never seen Aiden so possessive before!"

"Aiden, buddy, you're going to have to have dinner at _some _point," Brock tried reasoning with the child.

"No!" Aiden refused. "I won't! I _can't_ leave Mommy!"

Delia bit her lip. Aiden was genuinely upset over this. Simply telling him that Misty was fine clearly wasn't going to cut it. It was as if Aiden had to see her himself just to prove that she was okay. This gave Delia an idea, although she wasn't sure it was the best one. She would check, to see what she could do.

"I'll be back in a minute," Delia told Brock. He raised a bewildered eyebrow, but nodded none the less. She pulled Aiden's head forward and kissed his cheek before standing up and heading down the long hallway that led to the rooms.

* * *

><p><strong>What's Delia's plan? I know, of course. But I'm not going to tell you, teehee :P And yes, the baby still hasn't been born yet. I told you it was going to be an adventure! There's still more fun (or not, depends on how you look at it) to be had! Also, wasn't Scott SO much nicer this chapter? I made him more compassionate for the time being :P<strong>

**Sooo, guys, we're at 245 reviews! 5 more until 250 and another dedication is given out! So remember to leave your thoughts, reviews, all of that fun stuff. I love reading everyone's guesses about what's going to happen next! They're so much fun :P**


	27. Strangled

**New chapter, new chapter! So exciting :P**

**This is the last one I have completely done for now, but it's pretty long and a very good one, so I think you'll all definitely enjoy it! There's alot of foreshadowing and little hidden details, so pay attention! We're going to find out Delia's plan, and the baby comes closer to being born! But we're not quite there yet...**

**This chapter is dedicated to Pokemonstories-crazy, who was the 250th reviewer!**

* * *

><p>Remembering which number room Misty was in, Delia held her breath out of apprehension as she gently knocked on the door.<p>

"Come in," Ash's weary but unbroken voice called through the closed door.

Finally breathing out, Delia turned the doorknob and quietly entered the room. She first looked at Ash, who was sitting at the far side of the bed and holding onto one of Misty's hands. This brought her attention onto Misty, who was lying down in the bed and looking nearly out of it with her eyes half closed and her face completely pale.

"Hello sweetheart," Delia greeted softly, kneeling down by Misty's head. The gym leader whimpered slightly and turned her head towards Delia, her dull green eyes opening up a little more. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," Misty's weak voice replied.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Delia caressed Misty's bright red hair.

"Not so much now," Misty shook her head.

"Misty was smart this time and took the pain medication," Ash smirked at his mother.

"Excuse me for not wanting to get a giant needle rammed into my spine last time," Misty rolled her eyes. She wanted so badly to yell at Ash, but she felt too tired and weak to do it.

"I know angel, you're afraid of needles," Ash raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "But you were in too much pain this time to care, huh?"

Misty nodded her head before closing her eyes fully.

"What brings you in here, Mom?" Ash looked up at his mother. Delia noticed that, although Ash seemed a little worn, his eyes were still shining and he still managed to smile charmingly at her.

"It probably isn't a good idea," Delia's shoulders sagged, "but I thought I would try. Just see if…maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Ash tilted his head.

"Aiden won't eat," Delia explained. "His stomach is growling like crazy, and he hasn't eaten since nearly noon. I know that he's hungry. But he simply won't leave the waiting room."

"Why not?" Ash frowned. Aiden _always _had an appetite; a monster one at that. You knew something was wrong with Aiden when he didn't want to eat.

"He's worried about Misty," Delia glanced down at Misty and stroked the exhausted younger woman's cheek. "And he says he won't eat or leave his seat until he knows that she's okay."

"Tell him that she's fine," Ash's lip quivered as he tried his hardest not to show how much that truly touched him.

"We've tried, Ash," Delia shook her head. "He won't listen. He doesn't care. I think the only way we can prove to Aiden that Misty is okay is if he sees her."

"That's not a great idea," Ash grimaced.

"Why not?" Misty croaked.

Ash turned his eyes onto Misty, and countered, "Misty, you can't be serious. You're lying in this bed, worn out and full of pain meds, and you think this will prove to our son that you're alright?"

"I _am _okay, Ash," Misty grumbled. She opened her eyes and pulled herself up with some great difficulty. Resting her back against the pillows, Misty brushed the hair out of her face and sighed before turning to face Delia. "I'm fine, Delia. Don't listen to Ash. Let me see my little boy."

"Misty!" Ash groaned.

"Misty, dear, I don't want to put you through something if you don't think you can handle it," Delia calmly cut off her son's vehement protests.

"I can handle it," Misty answered more strongly. "Please, let's just show Aiden that I'm okay."

Delia slowly nodded her head, much to Ash's chagrin. Shooting him a warning glance, the older woman stood up and left the room, hurrying down the hallway in order to fetch her young grandson. Misty may not be in pain _now, _but Delia knew just how fast that pain medication could wear off. She would have to bring Aiden to Misty before she started screaming her head off again.

Reaching the waiting room, Delia walked over to where Brock was sitting with the twins and beamed at all three of them.

"Why are you so happy, Grammy?" Michelle blinked her big, emerald eyes.

"Do you two want to go visit your Mommy?" Delia asked. She knew that Misty was only expecting Aiden, but it felt wrong to leave Michelle out of the visit. They were both probably concerned about their mother. Michelle just wasn't expressing her fear out loud at the moment.

"YES!" They both squealed at the same time, jumping off of their seats and right in front of their grandmother.

"We have to be quick, now," Delia informed the twins. "Your Mommy is okay, but she's very tired. She just wants to see you two before she takes a little nap."

"Okay, we'll be fast!" Aiden grinned.

"Sounds good," Delia giggled airily. "Follow me, now, little ones!"

She headed back down the hallway, this time with Aiden and Michelle following eagerly behind. Getting to Misty's room, she knocked on the door once again just to play it on the safe side.

"Come in!" This time, it was Misty's voice that beckoned to her visitors. Delia blinked as she opened the door. Just minutes ago, it didn't seem possible that Misty could even _fake _being that cheery.

Entering the room, Aiden and Michelle burst in, but quickly became less excited when they observed the environment. The dull, gray walls, intestinally beeping machines, and overly sterile air instantly made the twins feel threatened, and suddenly, they didn't really want to be in this room.

"I see you two!" A light voice suddenly trilled, frightening the twins to some degree.

Looking up, they realized that the source of the voice was their mother, who was peering down at them from up in the bed. She looked more pale than usual, and her eyes weren't sparkling as they almost always did, but she did have a smile on her face, and this comforted them.

"Hi Mommy," Aiden greeted meekly.

"You don't have to be so shy, honey," Misty giggled. "It's just me!"

Aiden whimpered and pulled his shoulders forward as a defense mechanism. Noticing this, Ash smiled sympathetically and stood up, walking over to the other side of the bed in order to pick up both of the twins and carry them over to the bed so they could see Misty better.

"Guys, don't be afraid," Ash hugged the children when he felt them tense up in his arms. "Look, Mommy is just fine!"

"Daddy is right," Misty nodded. "Look at me!"

"You look tired, Mommy," Michelle commented.

"I am pretty tired, little girl," Misty reached up and touched her daughter's cheek. "But that doesn't mean I'm not alright."

"Are you hurting, Mommy?" Aiden frowned.

"No, buddy, I'm not," Misty laughed. "The doctor gave me some nice medicine, and I'm doing just fine."

"That's good," Aiden murmured, still feeling rather timid.

"So, Grammy told me that your tummy was grumbling before," Misty smiled up at her young son. He nodded wordlessly. "It would make me so happy if you ate dinner, little guy!"

"I don't want to leave you," Aiden shook his head. "You'll be sad."

"Aiden, baby, I won't be sad at all! I need you to eat, and to keep doing all of the things that you normally do. Aren't you having fun with Brock and everyone else in the waiting room?"

"Yes."

"See? So you don't have to feel bad, honey! Daddy is taking the very best care of me, and I feel just fine. You believe me, right?"

"Yes."

"Awesome," Misty yawned as her eyes began to slip closed. "So why don't you go have some dinner? I'm going to be okay, sweetheart."

"Really?" Aiden asked quietly.

"Really," Misty gave a single nod before her eyes closed completely. "I really mean it, baby."

"Mommy is tired," Michelle observed once again.

"Yeah, I think we should let her take a nap now," Ash nodded. He knelt down and placed the twins on the ground, staying at eye level with them as a tiny smile grew on his face. "You guys heard Mommy. Go get something to eat, alright?"

"Yes Daddy," both children chirped.

"And behave for Brock and Grammy and everyone else. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes Daddy."

"I love you two very much," Ash smiled as he gave each child a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you guys in a little while."

Aiden and Michelle snuggled into Ash's chest, not wanting him to let go of them. When Ash tried to pull them away, he realized they were clutching his shirt in their small hands, and he chuckled as he began to pry the material out of their little fingers.

"Come on little ones, let's go get dinner," Delia called out her grandchildren. Aiden and Michelle finally separated from Ash, looking more reassured but not much happier.

"Mommy is going to be okay," Ash stroked both of their locks before standing up. "Don't worry, guys."

Aiden and Michelle both nodded and followed their grandmother out of the room, staying quiet for the entire walk.

"Aren't you two happy to see that Mommy is okay?" Delia asked.

"Yeah…" Aiden sighed.

"Oh, little guy, why don't you sound so sure?" Delia frowned down at her grandson.

"I _am_ happy that Mommy is okay," Aiden explained. "I just feel bad for her."

"Why sweetie?"

"Because she's stuck in that scary, boring room," Aiden grumbled.

"Aiden, dear, I'm sure the room is the last thing on your Mom's mind," Delia giggled airily."As long as she's got your Daddy, then she's going to be _just_ fine!"

"That's true…" Aiden nodded.

"Of course it is," Delia grinned. "Now let's go get Brock and find something good to eat!"

**XXX**

Ash smiled to himself as he looked down at his sleeping wife. She had been in this state for about an hour now, and she looked incredibly beautiful and peaceful. The nap seemed to be doing wonders for her, because even in her sleep, Misty certainly didn't look like a woman who had been in labor for 4 hours and counting.

"You're so perfect," Ash mumbled to himself, gently stroking Misty's cheek. Her eyebrow twitched, followed by her eyes slowly opening as she let out a long yawn.

"Oops," Ash frowned. "I'm sorry, honey. Did I wake you up?"

Misty shook her head.

"Are you feeling better after your nap?" Ash grinned.

"Kind of," Misty twisted her mouth.

"Kind of? That doesn't sound good," Ash leaned his arms against the bed.

"Well, Ash, I'm having a baby, I'm not going to feel one hundred percent," Misty deadpanned.

"I guess," Ash shrugged. "But is something really bothering you?"

"No. I'm just kind of uncomfortable. Did anyone come in and check on me while I was sleeping?"

"Dr. Aaron came in, just once," Ash nodded. "He gave you a little examination, but he didn't want to disturb you while you were asleep. He told me nothing serious would happen while you were out of it, and if you woke up in severe pain or anything like that, we should just call him in." Examining Misty's pretty face for a moment, Ash asked, "You're not in severe pain, are you?"

"No."

"Okay, we're good then!" Ash laughed gleefully.

Misty gave her husband a tiny smile, but still groaned and put her head back down against the pillows on the bed. Ash frowned. He felt bad for his poor wife. She was suffering, and it was pretty much his fault. They got a really nice reward out of it, but up until then, it pretty much sucked for his dear Misty.

"I love you," Ash informed Misty in a gentle, airy voice as he placed a hand atop her stomach.

"I love you too," Misty looked at her husband with curious eyes.

"Are you ready to meet our little girl?" Ash set his gaze onto Misty's very pregnant midsection.

"I've been ready for the past four hours," Misty sighed. "I've been ready for _months _now. But she'll be tiny, you know."

"Well, yeah. All babies are tiny."

"No, I mean she's _really _going to be tiny," Misty shook her head. "At least…I think so. She should've stayed in my belly for a little while longer."

"Well, she's bored in there," Ash smirked. "Let's come up with a name for her!"

"I thought we were going to wait until we saw her little face," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"I guess we could," Ash began to trace random shapes on Misty's stomach, something that he loved to do when he couldn't think of anything else to distract himself with. "But…we've got nothing else to do right now. So why don't we just throw some ideas around? Nothing has to stick."

"You've got a point," Misty agreed. The pain medication must have been working wonders, because she wasn't feeling any pain at all. Misty did find it a little strange that her contractions were slowing down, however. "Any suggestions?"

"I like the name Alyson," Ash smiled to himself.

"No more 'A' names," Misty scrunched her nose up. "Or 'M' names, for that matter."

"Fair enough." Brainstorming some other ideas, Ash beamed, "how awesome would it be for her to have bright green eyes just like you and Michelle? Then we could name her Emerald!"

"Oh my…no," Misty pressed a hand against her forehead, clearly exasperated by the idea.

"Ruby is a cute name, too," Ash mused.

"What's with all the jewel names?" Misty scoffed.

"They're pretty," Ash chuckled. "Let's see. What is August's birthstone?"

"Peridot," Misty answered before realizing where Ash was likely going with this. "Oh, we are _not _naming our daughter Peridot!"

"Yeah, I guess that doesn't make a very good name for a little girl," Ash consented. "I do like the name Finley, though. And it sounds really good with your name!"

"Misty and Finley…" Misty recited aloud. "It _is_ kind of cute. I also like the name Deanna, if we want to name her after your Mom."

"You want to name her after my Mom?" Ash blinked.

"I thought about it," Misty nodded. "I love your mom. And I know how overjoyed she would be if we named the baby after her."

"Well, in that case, maybe we should name her after _your _mom!" Ash grinned. Without noticing Misty's unhappy expression, Ash continued muttering to himself, "Let's see…your Mom's name is Lynne. We could name her Lydia…or Lyndsey…maybe even Lynette…"

"Our daughter is not going to be named after my mother," Misty growled.

Ash was taken aback by his wife's rather angry reaction. "But Misty, she's your _mom_. And you're the one giving birth to the baby, so I feel like if she's named after anybody's mother, it should be yours."

"She's not a very good mother, Ash," Misty turned her head away from her husband. "Not a good enough one to warrant naming a child after her, anyway. Besides, Michelle's middle name honors my grandmother, who was more of a mom to me than my own mother. If we're naming the baby after _anyone_, it's going to be Delia. I had no mother figure in my life after my grandmother died until _your_ mom came along. She actually cared for me, and gave me advice, and listened to my dreams." Thinking quietly for a few seconds, Misty decided, "Delaney might be a nice name for her. It kind of sounds like Delia."

"Yeah, it's cute," Ash mumbled absent mindedly. He hated to see Misty in such a bad place with her mother. There had to be _some_ way he could fix it. "And if her first name is Delaney, then her middle name could start with an 'L,' like Lyla! How pretty does that sound? Delaney Lyla Ketchum? I love that."

Misty narrowed her eyes. She wished Ash would stop trying to get her to name the baby after her mother. That woman _hardly_ deserved the honor of having her granddaughter named after her.

A dull pain spread through Misty's abdomen, causing her to wince. She rolled her head back so her eyes were staring up at the ceiling. Holding her hand out towards Ash, she demanded, "The contractions are back. Let's go."

**XXX**

Four hours had passed since Delia had taken Aiden and Michelle to see Misty. That meant that Misty had been in labor for 8 hours now. It was just past 10 o'clock at night, and everyone was still gathered in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting news on the baby.

But so far, nothing had come.

"What's taking this kid so long?" Iris groaned, stretching her arms out over her head.

"Iris, you can't rush a sweet, little baby!" Cilan playfully chided his wife in a sing song voice. "She will come when she's perfectly ready."

"Which is apparently never," Iris grumbled.

Next to Iris, Dawn was busy reading the latest issue of _Coordinator Lately, _her head buried in the magazine as a valiant attempt to ignore her flustered husband. She was still mad at him for his previous comments about her, and refused to say a word to the brown haired young man.

May and Drew were having a coffee drinking competition, to see who could drink the most cups in order to stay awake without losing their minds. Todd and Ritchie were watching the couple with wide eyes, amazed that the two managed to not only be married, but to raise two children together.

Misty's three sisters were busy talking to their respective husbands about various subjects. Mostly, they were discussing the baby. What she would look like, what Ash and Misty would name her, and most importantly to them, who would give her the best gift.

Professor Oak was sitting next to Delia, prattling on to the auburn haired woman about his latest Pokémon research. Delia was highly interested in the conversation, and kept asking the experienced professor a million questions pertaining to the subject.

Gary was busy observing Scott, who had fallen asleep in the chair next to him, and the researcher was currently resisting the urge to draw all over Scott's face like the Jigglypuff that used to follow Ash around.

Brock was still sitting between the twins, talking to the two children in order to distract them from the current situation. It didn't seem to be doing much, however. They were both still concerned about their mother, and didn't have much interest in talking about Pokémon or toys at the moment.

Everyone's attention was brought back together when Ash walked through the doors that separated the waiting room from the hallway full of patients. Before the Pokémon master could even speak, everyone began bombarding him with questions, demanding to know if the baby had been born yet, how Misty was, how he was, and all of that.

Aiden and Michelle were feeling left out. With everyone yelling at their father, he was flustered, and they were completely shut out.

Wanting attention, the twins jumped off their chairs and ran over to Ash, tightly hugging his legs and rubbing their cheeks against his knees.

"Hey there you guys," Ash smiled down at his children. They had no idea how happy their presence made him. Leaning down, he lifted both children into his arms and held them close. Slowly becoming both aggravated and a little afraid of all the adults' yelling, Aiden and Michelle both whimpered quietly and buried their heads into Ash's chest.

"Guys, relax!" Ash finally called out to his friends, silencing them all in an instant. Sighing, he continued, "Misty hasn't had the baby yet. She isn't even _close _to having the baby, according to the doctor."

"Not even close?" Dawn gasped. "But…it's been 8 hours!"

"How is Misty doing?" May furrowed her brow.

Not wanting Aiden or Michelle to see or hear him, Ash pressed their heads closer against his body and shook his head, causing May to frown.

"Does the doctor have any idea of when Misty is actually going to have the baby?" Cilan inquired.

"None," Ash sagged his shoulders.

Michelle moved her face away from Ash's chest and let out a soft yawn. Ash was still able to hear it, however, and this only troubled him more. It wasn't exactly fair that his two older children were still sitting in this boring old hospital, especially at 10 o'clock at night. They were still only 5 years old, after all.

"Aiden, Michelle, I think I want you two to go home," Ash gently informed the children.

"NO!" They both cried, their eyes growing wide as they protested the idea.

"But it's late," Ash bounced them up and down. "And nothing is going to happen for a little while. You can come back tomorrow morning, but for now, I'd like you two to go home and get some sleep."

"Your Daddy has a point, little ones," Brock smiled as he moved over to where Ash stood. "Why don't we go back home? You'll be more comfortable there."

Eventually, Aiden and Michelle agreed to it, although they were extremely reluctant to do so. Once the twins were out of the room, Ash was able to divulge more information to the waiting guests.

"Misty is in _a lot _of pain," Ash sighed. "It's pretty bad right now."

"How close are her contractions?" Delia asked.

"That's the thing," Ash nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "She's not really having any."

"What do you mean she's not having any?" All of the color drained out of Delia's face.

"She'll have one every once in awhile, but they're not consistent anymore. She just had one five minutes ago, but there was almost twenty minutes between that contraction and the last one."

"Ash, that isn't normal," Daisy marched over to her brother in law.

"Yeah, I _know_ that!" Ash rolled his eyes.

"Does the doctor know that her contractions are irregular?" Daisy demanded.

Ash was surprised by Daisy's forcefulness. He had never seen the typically cheerful, and borderline ditsy blonde, in such a serious disposition before. "Uh…yeah. He's keeping track of it."

"Good," Daisy breathed out and ran a hand through her golden blonde hair. Ash was confused. He knew Daisy loved Misty; they were sisters after all. Sure, sometimes they argued and made fun of each other, but apparently that's what siblings did. He just had no idea that Daisy could get _this _protective over her younger sister.

"Daisy, I promise you that Misty will be fine," Ash assured her. "But I should probably get back to her now. She already freaked out when I said I was just going to visit you guys."

"Right," Daisy wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. "Go take care of her. Please."

"Of course I will," Ash nodded. Turning on his heel, he walked back through the doors and disappeared down the long hallway.

With her son now gone, Delia set her eyes on Daisy, who still had her arms wrapped around herself. Letting out a quiet breath, Daisy began to pace the floor, keeping her head down as she walked mournfully back and forth.

"Are you alright, Daisy?" Delia approached the former gym leader. She peered up at the older woman, frowning and responding with a sad little sigh.

"I feel so bad," Daisy shook her head. "Misty is suffering, and there's nothing I can do."

"But she's been through this already, I'm sure she'll be fine," Delia tried to reassure the blonde.

"I don't know…something just doesn't feel right this time," Daisy wrung her hands together. "I'm really worried about her. I know I don't let it show much, but I'm pretty protective of Misty. She's my baby sister, as much as she hates me calling her that."

"You've always been protective of her, haven't you?" Delia pressed.

"Ever since we were kids," Daisy nodded. "I mean, our parents left when I was 7 and Misty was 2. They hardly ever visited, either. Sure, we had our grandmother to watch us, and she adored Misty, but it wasn't the same as having two parents in the house. I would still tease her at times, because we were kids and I didn't know any better. But when push came to shove, I knew that I was one of the only people Misty had in her life, especially after our grandmother passed away. I love her, and I would do anything for her."

"Do you think Misty is upset over the fact that your parents left so close to when the baby was due?" Delia rested her head in her hand.

"Oh, I know she is. She'll never admit it, though. Not even to Ash. That's a problem in our family; we all seem to keep our feelings to ourselves. But them being gone _definitely _makes her angry. It probably puts their relationship back at square one."

"You're a very good sister, Daisy," Delia comfortingly patted the younger woman's back.

"Thank you," Daisy smiled weakly before looking back down at her hands. "Misty is a very good sister, too."

"Yes, and she's also a very brave girl," Delia added.

"That too," Daisy agreed. "A _very _brave girl."

**XXX**

Another hour passed. It was now 11 o'clock at night.

And Misty seemed to be getting worse and worse by the minute.

At the moment, she was panting very heavily, and hardly able to breathe. Ash was still sitting by her side, resting his head on her shoulder and rubbing his hand against the middle of her stomach.

"Any contractions yet?" Ash glanced up at his tired wife.

"No," Misty shook her head. "But…I'm getting a _really _bad pain in my side…"

"What?" Ash's head shot up. Misty hadn't said anything about a pain in her side before. Now he was becoming even more concerned than he'd already been. "When did that start?"

"Uh…a little while ago…" Misty grunted. "I didn't say anything because I…I thought it would go away. It seemed kind of normal at first. But now…now it hurts…really bad…I…ugh…"

Misty doubled over and let out a miserable whimper. Ash began to rub her back and look helplessly towards the door, hoping that Dr. Aaron would come in soon and take a look at Misty.

"I need him," Misty mumbled, as if reading Ash's mind.

"Honey, I would go find him for you, but I doubt you want me to leave you here all alone in this much pain," Ash frowned.

"I think I'm…gonna give you permission to…leave…" Misty hissed and threw her head back.

"Does it really hurt that badly?" Ash's heart began to race. Misty bit her lip and nodded as tears filled up her eyes. "Okay, I'll go find him. Don't you worry, angel! It shouldn't take long, really. I'll go as fast as I can!"

Ash ran towards the door, and as soon as he reached it, was hit by it swinging open. The Pokémon master yelped and fell to the floor, groaning as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Oww…" Ash whined.

"Oh my goodness. Ash, are you alright?"

Ash looked up and found himself staring at Dr. Aaron, who looked rather apologetic for hitting Ash with the door on accident.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ash jumped to his feet. "But…Misty isn't."

Misty let out a low moan, as if to prove Ash's point. Dr. Aaron looked over Ash's shoulder and saw just how in pain Misty looked.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Aaron moved over to the bed. "Have the contractions become more consistent yet?"

"Hardly," Ash shook his head. "If anything, they're only getting further apart. Right now, she says she's got a really bad pain in her side."

"How long have you had the pain?" Dr. Aaron asked Misty.

"F…for the past half hour…" Misty winced. "It started off weak…and it's just gotten stronger."

"Let me see…" Dr. Aaron pressed his hands against Misty's swollen stomach, feeling out for anything irregular. When he pressed against her side, Misty screamed out in pain, causing both Ash and Dr. Aaron to jump.

"Well…that doesn't sound good," Dr. Aaron blinked.

"S…sorry," Misty blushed slightly. "It just…hurt…so bad."

"Something definitely isn't right," Dr. Aaron shook his head. "I'm going to do an ultrasound and see what the problem is."

Dr. Aaron went through all of the customary steps: pulling up Misty's hospital gown, spreading the cold gel on her stomach, and running the wand across her belly. He stared at the screen, specifically trying to see what position the baby was in.

"_That's_ the problem," Dr. Aaron suddenly murmured, his voice sounding heavy.

"What?" Ash trembled. "What's wrong?"

"The baby is in a transverse lie," Dr. Aaron explained as he turned his head towards Ash. "This means she's positioned sideways. That's why Misty's experiencing so much pain in her side. The baby's head is pressing against it."

"But…she was head down when I got here!" Misty cried.

"I know, but sometimes, a baby's position can change during labor," Dr. Aaron informed the terrified gym leader. "And it looks like your little girl has turned."

"And I assume she can't be born if she's in that position?" Ash bit his lip.

"No," Dr. Aaron shook his head. "It would be far too dangerous."

"So what do we do?" Ash folded his arms.

"I could perform an external cephalic version, or an ECV," Dr. Aaron looked between Ash and Misty. "It's done by applying external pressure to the abdomen and moving the baby into a head down position. This will enable me to deliver the baby naturally, so long as I'm able to regulate the contractions as well."

"I really want her to be born naturally," Misty pressed a hand against the good side of her stomach. "So let's do that."

"Will it even work?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"It should," Dr. Aaron nodded. "An EVC has a 90 percent success rate in a transverse lie. Although I must warn you, Misty, that the procedure is very uncomfortable. It also poses some risks such as a drop in the baby's heart rate, but instances like that are extremely rare. The fact that this is not your first child also makes the procedure easier."

"Okay," Misty sighed. "I want it. I don't care how uncomfortable it is. As long as it won't hurt my baby, I want to go through with it."

"Very well, then I'll…" Dr. Aaron trailed off as he moved in closer to the screen. "Wait a minute…"

_That doesn't sound good, _Ash thought to himself. He didn't want to say anything out loud, especially after seeing the look of panic that had set into Misty's emerald green eyes.

"What's wrong?" Misty murmured.

"I can't turn the baby around," Dr. Aaron took one last look at the screen before turning it off and sighing heavily. Noticing Misty's scared expression, Dr. Aaron frowned and informed the gym leader, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to deliver the baby through an emergency c-section."

"WHAT?" Misty screamed, her whole face turning completely white. "WHY? WHY DO I NEED THAT?"

"Misty, relax!" Ash wrapped his arms around his frantic wife's shoulders and held her close. His own heart was racing, but he knew he would have to try and remain calm for his wife's sake. Looking up at the doctor, Ash asked, "What's wrong? Why can't you turn the baby around like you said you could before?"

"Because the cord is wrapped around her neck," Dr. Aaron continued sadly. Both Ash and Misty's jaws dropped, and the ultimate look of terror crossed both of their faces. "It must've happened when she turned into the sideways position. If I try to turn her with that cord wrapped around her neck, she'll be strangled."

Misty began to cry. It was all she could do at this point. She hung her head and sobbed; fearing the major surgery she was facing, and even worse, fearing for the life of her unborn daughter.

Ash, meanwhile, was stunned into complete stillness. He kept his hand on Misty's lower back, and his mouth remained open. A million thoughts raced through his head, and hardly any of them were positive. 8 hours ago, Ash never would've believed that his baby girl's life would be in jeopardy, or brought into the world in such a dire fashion. Slowly but surely, it was breaking his heart.

"C…can she even breathe?" Ash managed to speak up.

"I don't know," Dr. Aaron finished cleaning Misty off. "But I'm going to get her out as quickly as possible to ensure that she can breathe." Looking back towards Ash, Dr. Aaron continued, "Why don't you go into the waiting room while Misty is prepped for surgery? I'll send for you when she's ready, provided you want to be present for the procedure."

There was a part of Ash that didn't want to be in the room. Not because he was afraid of witnessing it, but because he really didn't want to see his wife go through that. The thought of sitting next to Misty while she was cut into sent a special pain off in his heart, and he didn't know if he could handle it. The desire to be there for Misty was stronger than his guilt, however, and Ash knew there was no possible way he could just sit in the waiting room while Misty was being operated on.

"Yes, I want to be in the room," Ash answered in an almost robotic fashion. "I want to be there."

"Alright," Dr. Aaron gave the Pokémon master a single nod. "You'll be notified when she's ready for surgery."

Still feeling rather stiff, Ash leaned over and gave Misty a kiss on the cheek before standing up to leave. As he got to his feet, however, Misty grabbed onto his hand and held it as tightly as she could. Ash looked into her face and saw the tears flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall. He saw her definitive frown, the horror in her eyes, and the overall sense of dread that surrounded her currently hapless being.

"Misty…" Ash breathed.

"Don't leave me!" Misty begged through fervent sobs. "I…I can't! Please d…don't leave!"

"Sweetheart, I would never leave you!" Ash cupped her face in his hands. "I'll be back when you're ready to…have the baby, okay? I swear I'm not going anywhere."

"Please don't go," Misty shook her head and kept wailing.

"I have to, I have to," Ash whispered as he stroked Misty's hair. He had never seen his wife looking so scared in all of her life. Leaning down once again, he kissed the top of her head and promised, "I'm coming back. Cross my heart, I swear to you, however you want me to promise you. I will be by your side when this baby is born."

Misty didn't say anything in response. She didn't even nod. The gym leader just kept crying, and staring at Ash with eyes full of trepidation and longing. Giving her one last kiss, Ash stepped out of the room, clutching the front of his shirt in his hands as he willed himself not to cry.

The image of Misty screaming and crying and just in absolute hysterics kept flashing before Ash's eyes. No matter how hard he tried to push the scene out of his head, it just wouldn't go away. The rare and terrifying sight was burned into his memory for the rest of his life.

Halfway down the hall, a tear fell on Ash's tense hand.

He had no willpower left.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm really evil, aren't I? Goodness, I feel bad.<strong>

**I, personally, love Daisy as a character, so that's why I'm developing her more. I definitely feel as if she should be more protective of Misty, so that's the route I'm taking. This is only the beginning with them, I'm going to expand on this topic more later on :)**

**Also, can I just say, that I was just coming up with random names for Ash and Misty's baby names discussion, but I actually ended up falling in love with the name Delaney Lyla? It's so freaking cute! Alas, that is not the baby's name. Perhaps I should use it for something else... ;)**

**Last chapter we got to 250 reviews! This is, of course, because all of my readers and reviews are completely awesome. I love all the reviews and suppourt you guys keep giving me! It's completely crazy, and it makes me so glad to know you guys are all into the story! Definitely keeps me going on the writing front. So, again, thank you all!**


	28. A Little Miracle

**Hey guys! It's the update you've all been waiting for: the baby is finally here! Well, she will be. But we have to see if she's okay first. I'm not telling! I also would've put this chapter up way sooner, but I ended up not finishing it before I went on vacation. Whoops.**

**Also, before we begin, I'd love to throw out a mention to Yondaimeslegacy and their story "Pokemon Master Chronicles." It's another future fic (my favorites!) and it should totally be getting more attention than it is. Everyone should go check it out!**

**Now...onto the story!**

* * *

><p>As soon as Ash pushed back the doors that separated the hospital rooms from the waiting room, he knew exactly what to expect. Everyone was going to lunge at him, with hopeful smiles as wide as could be, and with a million questions in their arsenal about both Misty and the baby. And Ash would have no good news to share with them.<p>

Just as Ash had expected, everyone jumped at his presence, but they all calmed down much more quickly than he would've anticipated. The look on his face must have tipped them off that something wasn't right.

"Ash, dear, you're as pale as a ghost!" Delia gasped and rushed over to her son, pressing her hands against his pallid cheeks. "Is everything okay?"

Ash couldn't find the words to speak, so he simply shook his head instead.

"Sweetheart, tell me what's going on," Delia lowered her voice to a whisper in an attempt to soothe her clearly troubled boy. "Please."

"Misty has to have a c-section," Ash answered hoarsely.

"WHAT?"

The sudden cry wasn't from Delia, but rather Daisy, who had jumped out of her seat at the news. While everyone in the room looked shocked and concerned, Daisy just appeared downright frantic. Her face was reminiscent of Misty's upon hearing the news, and the horrible image was beginning to replay in Ash's head yet again. Miserably, he frowned and once again went to work at trying to forget the whole scene.

"Why Ash?" Daisy barked, as if it was his fault that Misty was stuck in this predicament. "Tell me why!"

"Daisy, calm down!" Tracey grabbed at Daisy's shoulders and tried to pull her back down. The angry blonde, however, would have none of it. She shrugged away from her husband and stormed over to Ash, her sea green eyes clouded with tears of both sorrow and fury.

"Tell me why!" Daisy repeated, her voice more strong than it had been the last time she'd made that forceful demand.

"Daisy, quit yelling at me!" Ash snapped, his cheeks reddening.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Daisy barred her teeth and got into Ash's face. "My sister is in the middle of some kind of medical emergency and you won't tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Yeah, great, she's your sister," Ash narrowed his eyes. "She's my _wife_! And it's _my_ baby too!"

"Ash, stop!" Delia ordered, pulling her son back by his arm. Ash was surprised that his mother, who was much smaller than and not nearly as strong as him, was able to pull him back so easily, but he didn't let the shock show on his face. He was still too busy glaring at his sister-in-law.

Realizing that she was being ignored, Delia growled lowly and grabbed her only child's face, turning it towards her. Ash finally took notice of the fire in his mother's eyes, and his expression quickly softened.

"Misty is about to have major surgery," Delia chastised Ash, "and you're in here snapping at everybody! That's not what anyone needs, Ash."

"I was only yelling at Daisy," Ash grumbled as he put a pout on his face. He knew his mother was right, but he was so heartbroken about Misty at the moment that there was no way he was going to back down.

"Ash," Delia shook her head, clearly unhappy with his response.

Daisy was still shooting a hostile look at her brother-in-law, although now when Ash saw it, a pang of guilt went off in his heart.

"Daisy, you're not in the right either," Violet suddenly piped up, folding her arms across her chest.

"Vi, you must be _kidding _me!" Daisy cried, her eyes widening in shock. "Misty is your little sister too! Aren't you worried about her?"

"Of course I'm worried about her," Violet replied slowly, her brown eyes shining with a sense of sadness as she looked up at her older sister. "But think about how Ash must feel right now."

"Violet's right," Lily agreed, although she was still sitting in her chair and looking down at her hands. "You two shouldn't be arguing right now. It isn't right. Just think about how upset this would make Misty."

Daisy didn't say anything in response. She didn't have to; she knew her sisters were right. Walking back towards Ash, she grabbed one of his hands, which caused Ash to turn around and give her a rather bewildered look.

"I'm sorry," Daisy murmured. "I…shouldn't have yelled at you, Ash. I shouldn't have demanded to know about Misty as soon as you came out here. It was wrong of me."

"I'm sorry too," Ash admitted after a few moments of silence. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. You're just as concerned about Misty as I am, and me trying to believe you shouldn't care as much as me was just selfish. So…_I'm_ sorry."

Daisy smiled softly at Ash and gave him a hug. The Pokémon master was taken aback by the action, for it was one that Daisy didn't often give to Ash. Never the less, he gave his own weak smile and returned the blonde woman's embrace.

"Now," Daisy's more tranquil voice floated as she separated from Ash, "tell us just what's going on. Why does Misty need this emergency c-section?"

Ash took in a sharp breath. The words were caught in his throat, and he could feel his heart begin to race. Daisy's sea green eyes were directly piercing him, and Ash could feel everyone else in the room's eyes on him as well.

"Well…the baby turned into a bad position," Ash explained weakly."She's sideways now. The doctor was going to turn her around, but he can't. Because…when the baby turned…the cord wrapped around her neck…and now…" Ash trailed off and looked down at the floor, hoping that no one would catch sight of the tears forming in his russet eyes.

"Oh no," May murmured sadly. She clutched Drew's hand more tightly, a feeling of dread washing over both of them. Dawn and Kenny exchanged sad looks, the first time in several hours they had even made eye contact.

Violet and Lily were both staring at Daisy, waiting for her to freak out once again. The blonde woman let out a heavy breath and ran a hand through her wavy locks, but said nothing in response.

"Oh, Ashy," Delia frowned. She stroked Ash's hair and held the grown man close, pressing their cheeks together and silently comforting him.

"I'm so scared," Ash breathed out, his voice heavy with sadness. "What if…what if my baby…"

"Don't think that way, Ash," Delia whispered. "Please. Think positively."

"How can I?" Ash blinked away hot, stinging tears. One managed to slip out of his eye, but Delia wiped it away before it could travel even halfway down his cheek. "She's in so much trouble…my poor baby girl…"

"Ash, this is _Misty's daughter_ we're talking about," Delia smiled comfortingly at her son. "If she's anything like her mother, then this little girl will be a fighter. She's not going to give up so easily."

"Should I call Brock?" Ash asked quietly. "He's the baby's godfather…he should know."

"That sounds like a good idea," Delia nodded. "Do you promise to come back when you finish the call?"

Ash's heart panged. Having to keep promising people that he would return to them was fairly depressing. It was as if everyone thought he was just going to leave them. Did he really seem that much like his father?

"I promise," Ash's dull voice responded.

"Good," Delia patted her son's back and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Go ahead, now. Do what you have to do."

Ash nodded and walked across the waiting room towards the hallway where he had seen a collection of video phones sitting against the wall. As Ash left the room, Daisy watched after him, her sea green eyes shimmering with sadness. Ash had given her an idea.

She just wasn't sure if it was a good one or not.

**XXX**

Brock sat on the couch in the Ketchum's living room, constantly changing the channel on the flat screen television. He wasn't paying any attention to the screen, and part of him didn't even know why he had the TV on. The flashing colors were managing to keep him awake and sane, so maybe that was why.

"Brock…"

The tiny voice caused Brock to finally put the remote down and sit up. He looked around the room, wondering where the voice could have come from. Eventually, he spotted both Aiden and Michelle standing in the doorway, both children wearing their pajamas, but neither one looking sleepy.

"What are you two doing up?" Brock glanced towards the clock. It was nearly midnight.

"We can't sleep," Michelle murmured sadly.

"Are you both worried about Mommy?" Brock frowned. The twins nodded. "I'm sorry, guys, but I haven't heard anything about her yet."

Aiden and Michelle shuffled over to the couch, the downtrodden expression leaving neither of their faces. Brock knew he should put the twins back to bed, but he felt way too bad to do. They were just concerned about their mother, was all, and needed some comforting. Fortunately, Brock was more than capable of providing that.

"Come here you two," Brock beckoned softly. He lifted both children up onto the couch and sat them on either of his sides, stroking their hair and engulfing them into a tight hug. "It'll be alright."

As the Pokémon doctor worked on comforting the twins, he noticed a book sitting on Aiden's lap. It was large, but not very thick, which tipped Brock off to the thought that it was a story book. Ash had told him before that Misty often read to the children before they went to sleep, and sometimes it was the only way to get them to calm down.

"What's this, buddy?" Brock asked Aiden as he tapped the cover.

"Me and Michelle's favorite story," Aiden looked up at his godfather with big, saddened brown eyes. "Mommy reads it to us a lot."

_Just as I thought, _Brock mused in his head.

"Yeah, she reads us lots of stories," Michelle piped up. "But…that one is our favorite."

Brock hugged the children a little more tightly, mostly out of sub consciousness. He felt so bad for the little ones, and just wanted to find a way to comfort them. "Hey," Brock looked between the two, "I know it won't be the same, but what if, for tonight, I read the story to you? Would you like that?"

Aiden and Michelle looked at one another as if to silently discuss the idea. Finally, they both looked up at Brock and nodded.

"Okay," Brock chuckled quietly and slipped the book off of Aiden's lap and instead settling it on his own. Aiden and Michelle leaned in so they could look at the illustrations in the book, and follow along as Brock read the story to them.

Flipping the book open, Brock cleared his throat and began to read, "once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom, there lived a young girl called Princess Elizabeth. She was sweet and kind to everyone she met, and loved wandering out into the nearby forests in search of all different types of Pokémon."

"She's pretty, don't you think, Brock?" Michelle asked as she rested his head in his hand.

Brock studied the illustrated image of the princess. She had long, light brown hair that curled at the bottom, with big silver-blue eyes and a pretty pink smile. Her dress was pink and blue, with a full poufy skirt and ribbon like sleeves floating around her shoulders.

"Yeah, she's lovely," Brock smiled. "And she sounds very nice, too!"

"Enough of the princess," Aiden turned the page for his godfather, "read more!"

"Okay!" Brock laughed before clearing his throat and carrying on, "Princess Elizabeth was friends with many Pokémon, as well as people. One of these friends was Sir Arthur, a daring and fearless knight whose job was to protect the beautiful young princess."

"He's my favorite!" Aiden pointed at the drawing of the young man with dark blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes, dressed in a full suit of armor. "He does all kinds of cool stuff, Brock, and our names start with the same letter!"

"That they do little buddy," Brock smirked. He turned the page and continued on reading, "Princess Elizabeth and Sir Arthur would go on many adventures together. They would explore the castle, the kingdom village, or even search for Pokémon. Princess Elizabeth's parents, the King and Queen, didn't like their daughter going into the forest, however."

"It's like our Mommy and Daddy," Michelle's head lolled to the side.

Brock turned the page and opened his mouth to begin reading the next paragraph, but was quickly cut off by the phone ringing.

"I wonder who that could be…" Brock murmured.

"Maybe the baby was finally born!" Michelle jumped up, her eyes shimmering with hope.

"Let's answer it!" Aiden cheered, leaping off the couch and darting towards the video phone. Michelle giggled and followed suit, while Brock put the book down (being careful not to lose the page they were on) and walked quickly after the twins.

By the time he reached the kitchen, Brock saw that Aiden and Michelle had already managed to climb up onto the chair and answer the call.

"Hi Daddy!" The twins greeted simultaneously. Their cheery dispositions evaporated, however, when they saw the exhaustion, concern, and now shock, on their father's face.

"Aiden, Michelle, why aren't you two in bed?" Ash slumped his shoulders as he let out an exasperated sigh. "It's past midnight."

"We're still too worried about Mommy," Aiden frowned.

"Is the baby here yet?" Michelle beamed.

"No princess," Ash shook his head sadly. "She isn't."

"Ash, how much longer is this going to take?" Brock leaned over the chair and locked eyes with the younger man.

"Not too much," Ash sighed, "because she's going to have a c-section."

Brock began to gasp, but quickly suppressed it when the twins whipped around to stare at him in a bewildered fashion. "Okay…" Brock continued slowly, a shiver going up his spine. "Well…I _know_ that wasn't by her choice."

"No, it was not," Ash lowered his eyes.

"Uh…Aiden, Michelle, would you mind getting me something to drink?" Brock glanced down at the two young children. He knew at this point that there was something wrong with either Misty or the baby, and he certainly wasn't about to discuss it in front of his godchildren.

"No, we wanna talk to Daddy too!" Aiden stormed.

"You can still talk to me, little buddy," Ash held out one of his hands. He knew exactly what Brock was doing, and agreed with it whole heartedly. "I'm not going anywhere in the next few minutes. I promise."

The twins huffed, but slid off the chair and over to the fridge despite their lack of desire to do so.

"What's wrong?" Brock sat down and leaned his elbows against the table on which the video phone was set.

"The cord got wrapped around the baby's neck," Ash lowered his voice to a whisper. Looking over Brock's shoulder, he was able to see that the twins were still busy fetching Brock's drink, and hadn't heard a word he'd said. Letting out a saddened sigh, Ash continued, "She turned into a bad position and got the cord wrapped around her neck. Now it's choking her."

"So this is an emergency operation," Brock concluded desolately.

"Yes," Ash rubbed at his tired eyes.

"Oh Ash," Brock buried his head in his hands.

"Brock, what's a c-section?"

The Pokémon doctor looked down and found Michelle staring up at him, a bright blue cup held in her little hands.

"Oh, it's nothing sweetheart," Brock felt bad for giving that loudly answer, but he really felt that he couldn't be honest with the girl. The answer would scare her too badly.

"It sounds bad," Michelle blinked.

"Well, I don't know, it's different for everybody," Brock patted her head. "You could ask your Mommy once you see her. Maybe she'll tell you about it."

"Will it hurt her?" Michelle shook slightly.

"No, she won't feel a thing," Brock smiled comfortingly at the child. Reaching down, he took the cup and placed it on the table. "Thank you for getting my drink, Shelly."

"Can I sit on your lap?" Michelle raised her arms.

"Yes, of course you can," Brock lifted the little red head onto his lap and hugged her close to his body.

"Daddy, is Mommy okay?" Michelle leaned forward.

"Yes baby," Ash held back hot, biting tears. "Mommy will be okay."

"Is she scared?" Michelle tilted her head.

"Maybe," Ash shifted his eyes to the right. "But…I guess that's normal. Ya' know, to be worried when you're having a baby. She was certainly nervous when you and Aiden were born. But that doesn't mean she's not okay."

"Mommy doesn't have to be scared," Michelle smiled softly. "She's a brave Mommy!"

"I think she would be happy to hear you say that, princess," Ash chuckled gently. Looking around, he blinked before inquiring, "Where did Aiden go?"

"Hmm…good question," Brock looked behind him. Turning his attention back to Michelle, he asked, "Sweetheart, where did your brother run off to?"

"I don't know," Michelle shrugged. "He said he had to get something. Then he ran away."

"Well…I'm sure he's just fine," Ash rubbed his temples. "I should probably get back to Misty now."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Brock nodded. "You promise to call once the baby is born?"

"Of course," Ash tried to smile, but to no avail.

"Great," Brock placed a hand of Michelle's shoulder. "Say goodbye to your Daddy, little girl."

"Bye Daddy," Michelle waved sadly.

"Don't be upset, beautiful," Ash _really _wanted to cry now. "I'll see you soon, okay?" Michelle nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll talk to you guys la-"

"NO DADDY!"

Brock and Michelle both turned their heads, while Ash once again peered over Brock's shoulder through the video screen. Aiden's small figure was standing in the middle of the kitchen, a large book held in his tiny hands.

"What's up, little guy?" Ash furrowed his brow.

Aiden scurried over to Brock and tried to climb up the older man's legs, but it was nearly impossible with the book occupying his hands. Smiling, Brock lifted the boy up onto his lap, Michelle shifting over to the side so there would be room for both of them to sit.

"Brock was reading to me and Shelly before, Daddy," Aiden grinned at his father. Flipping the book over, he showed the cover off to Ash and carried on, "see? It's the one Mommy reads to us all the time!"

"Yeah, your favorite," Ash observed.

"It reminds me of Mommy," Aiden beamed down at the book. Hugging it, he turned his eyes back up to Ash and said, "I know she can do it, Daddy! She's not afraid of anything! Mommy is brave, just like the princess in this book!"

"You two really believe in her, huh?" Ash rubbed at his eyes. There was no holding back those awful tears now. Aiden and Michelle both nodded as they grinned. "That's really sweet of you guys. I'll make sure to tell Mommy that you said all of that!"

"Ash…"

The Pokémon master looked over his own shoulder and found his mother standing nearby, a fairly concerned look set on her face.

"Guys, I have to go," Ash addressed the screen. "But we'll talk soon. I promise."

"Okay Daddy," Aiden nodded. "Go to Mommy!"

"We'll be here _all _night!" Michelle chirped.

"I want you both to go to sleep," Ash chuckled as he shook his head. "Why don't you do that?" Aiden and Michelle just looked at each other, but said nothing in response. "Just try, okay?"

"Kay, we'll _try_," Michelle smirked.

"Good," Ash finally smiled. "See you all later." And with that, the call was disconnected.

"Well, wasn't that nice to see your Daddy?" Brock asked the twins. They both nodded yet again, but the more Brock thought about it, the more nervous he became. Ash and Misty's unborn daughter was in serious condition at this point, but there was no way he could let Aiden and Michelle know that.

"Yeah, and the baby will be here soon!" Michelle squeaked.

Brock bit his lip. "Okay, guys, how about we go to bed, huh?"

"No Brock," Aiden shook his head.

"But Aiden…Daddy said he wanted you two to try and go to sleep," Brock frowned.

"I'm not tired," Aiden groaned.

"Me neither," Michelle scrunched her nose up.

"Alright, I guess we can read more of the story," Brock sighed, taking the storybook out of Aiden's hands. "But don't tell Mommy and Daddy, okay?"

"Yes, Brock!" Aiden and Michelle cheered at the same time, jumping off of his lap and hurrying back over to the couch.

Brock watched the two run into the living room, his heart sinking with every footstep that they took. The twins were such wonderful, precious children. What if their baby sister couldn't have the same kind of life? What if…what if she didn't get to have a life at all?

"Please be okay," Brock mumbled to himself as he stood up. "_Please._"

**XXX**

Ash hung up the phone and approached his mother, his dark brown eyes shimmering with concern and wonder.

"What's up, Mom?" Ash murmured.

"The doctor came into the waiting room looking for you," Delia wrung her hands together. "He said that Misty is ready for the procedure."

"Alright…" Ash took in a deep breath and began to march towards the waiting room. Delia gasped softly and followed after her son, nervously clenching her hands by her sides. As Ash made it past the line that separated the waiting room from the hallway, he felt his arm brush up against someone else's. He was hardly paying attention, however, so the contact shocked him and caused the raven haired man to look up in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

His chocolate eyes locked with a set of sea green orbs, looking tired and misted over with a screen of tears.

"Daisy?" Ash asked quietly.

"You're going to be with Misty," Daisy stated. Her voice was worn, and she had meant to pose the sentence more as a question than an avowal.

"Yes," Ash nodded just once. "I'm going to take care of her, Daisy. I promise that I-"

"I believe you," Daisy tucked a strand of wavy blonde hair behind her ear. "You know that I do."

"Then what are you doing down here?"

"It's not important for you right now," Daisy smiled sadly. "You need to be with Misty. Don't worry about me right now."

"Uh…alright…" Ash breathed. "I'll see you later, then."

"Right," Daisy gave a single nod before continuing down the hallway, right towards the video phones.

"That was weird," Ash muttered to himself.

"Ash, come on," Delia gently tugged at Ash's arm. He allowed his mother to pull him into the waiting room, feeling unable to walk at this point. It had just occurred to him that he and Misty were just about to have another child…and that something could be wrong with her.

"Ah, Ash, there you are."

The Pokémon master realized rather quickly that it was Dr. Aaron talking to him. He was standing in the center of the waiting room, and had changed out of his lab coat into a set of blue surgical scrubs.

"Mi…Misty is ready?" Ash stammered. He mentally slapped himself for that one. Of _course_ Misty was ready. Why else would the doctor be in the room?

"Yes," Dr. Aaron nodded. "But…I must warn you that I had to administer some anesthesia." Ash's eyes grew as wide as saucers, so Dr. Aaron explained, "Misty was in absolute hysterics. Screaming and crying, and I'm pretty sure she threatened to hit me with a mallet?"

"Yep, that's my Misty alright," Ash held onto his forehead and tried to laugh. Tried, but with no success. The thought of Misty screaming and freaking out in the hospital room brought back those horrifying images from when Ash had left her to go back into the waiting room. And right away, the guilt was back, eating away at Ash like a hungry Caterpie.

"The anesthesia won't hurt her," Dr. Aaron assured. "It probably would've hurt her more if I hadn't given her any. She was just way too livid for me to do anything."

"I understand," Ash nodded. "Take me to her."

Dr. Aaron nodded and led Ash down another long, seemingly endless hallway. Ash was convinced he'd go crazy before even getting to the operating room. He needed to see Misty, and hold her hand, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Ash wasn't sure if it would be, but…he had to at least make _Misty_ believe it.

"Right through here," Dr. Aaron opened the door that led into the room. Ash followed after the doctor and was immediately met by the sight of his wife laying on a long, uncomfortable looking table. Around her, several other doctors were bustling around the room, and Ash could only assume they were there to help Dr. Aaron with the delivery.

The sound of people entering the room caused Misty to groan and turn her head to the side. Ash looked into her emerald eyes, finding them to be half shut, completely dull, and practically lifeless. She was _definitely _out of it. Not completely, of course; she was still conscious. It was the kind of out of it where if you asked Misty her name, she would probably respond with something like Bob.

"Hey honey," Ash smiled weakly as he walked over to Misty. She let out another little whimper, leading Ash to grab hold of her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "I'm back now, see? Are you doing okay?"

"Help…" Misty's weak voice piped up.

"Help with what, angel?" Ash leaned in closer to the gym leader. "Tell me what you need."

"Get…me out of here…" Misty furrowed her brow, managing to reach up and grab onto the collar of Ash's shirt.

"Sweetheart, I can't do that," Ash shook his head. "You need this. I know you don't want it, but sometimes things don't go our way. This is the only way we can have our baby."

"Please no," Misty cried, getting a little more loud although still sounding incredibly feeble.

"Misty…" Ash breathed.

"I can't…" Misty sniffed, a tear slipping out of her eye and running down her cheek. "Can't do this…Ash."

"Of course you can," Ash cleared the tear away. "Everyone believes in you, Mist. I do, and all of our friends do…"

"So?" Misty whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

"Aiden and Michelle believe in you," Ash replied quietly after a few moments of absolute silence.

Misty reopened her eyes and looked up at Ash, taking in a sharp breath as she examined her husband's serious expression. "Th…they do?"

"Yes, they told me so on the phone," Ash affirmed. "They said that you're their Mommy, and their Mommy is brave and not afraid of anything. They believe in you more than anyone else in the world, Misty."

"My babies…" Misty looked up towards the ceiling.

"They love you more than anything else in the world," Ash grinned. "You're everything to them."

"But…you are too," Misty looked back at Ash.

"Yeah, I guess. But in this moment in time, you are their sole concern, and the only thoughts they have right now are about you."

"They're so sweet," Misty let out a shaky breath. "I love them so…much…"

Ash felt Misty's grip on his hand loosen, which concerned him slightly. Looking down, he realized her eyes were closing more, and her breathing becoming more shallow.

"Misty, are you okay?" Ash trembled slightly.

"She'll be just fine," Dr. Aaron informed Ash. "Because this is an emergency operation, I had to give her enough anesthesias to put her to sleep. It's taking effect slowly, but soon enough she'll be completely asleep."

"So…Misty's not going to be able to see our baby when she's born?" Ash frowned.

"I'm afraid not."

Ash rubbed at the side of his face. He knew that Misty would _definitely _not be okay with that once she woke up. This was going to take a lot of consoling, Ash could feel it.

"Alright, let's deliver this baby," Dr. Aaron pulled on a pair of gloves as he prepared to go to work.

Fortunately for Ash, a screen had been put up in front of Misty's stomach, so he didn't have to see any of the disturbing scenes he was rather afraid of witnessing. He instead kept his eyes locked on Misty's peaceful face, pretending that she wasn't laying there being cut open. Oh, his poor, sweet wife.

The whole procedure took about half an hour. When the baby was finally out, Ash couldn't even see her because Dr. Aaron was holding the tiny girl in a white towel with pink and blue stripes. Ash could see the doctor unwrapping the cord from around the baby's neck, extricating the little thing as fast as he possibly could without hurting her.

One of the assistants leaned into the doctor, gazing down at the baby. Ash wasn't hearing any crying, and that concerned him greatly. He remembered when Aiden and Michelle were born. Misty was thrilled when Aiden had cried, but Michelle didn't, and it was later discovered that she had underdeveloped lungs.

Dr. Aaron leaned the baby up slightly, lifting her head and staring at her studiously. The assistant turned his eyes onto Dr. Aaron and murmured, "Can she breathe?"

"I don't know," Dr. Aaron replied just as quietly. "I'm trying…"

Ash wanted to ask his own questions. Had his baby girl actually been strangled? Was something really wrong with her? Ash's paternal instinct was kicking in at full speed, and part of him wanted to just snatch his daughter away from Dr. Aaron and will her to breathe on his own. The rational part of Ash, however, knew that wasn't a good idea. He couldn't help her in the way the doctor could.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, something happened that caused Ash's heart to leap and pound, and his head to go dizzy. A miracle, if you would.

A series of loud, high pitched wails filled the air.

* * *

><p><strong>Yaaaay, baby! I would never, ever kill her off, don't worry! She's my favorite...I feel so bad for playing favorites XD I was going to make this chapter longer, but I thought ending it here was nice. We still have to wait for the appearance of the baby, her name, and whatever it was that Daisy was up to. Hmm...what do you guys think she was doing?<strong>

**Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! It was an eventful one, so I'd love to hear some thoughts! Until next time, I'm off to work on the next chapter! Don't like to keep you guys waiting, after all ;)**


	29. Princess Ketchum

**Oh, you guys are going to LOVE this one.**

**So, this ended up being a SUPER LONG chapter. Because it's all fluff and newborn baby love and tons of Ash cuteness. That's right, it's a chapter with little to no misery! Hooray! Plus, you'll all finally find out what the baby looks like, and what her name is. So...let's see what's going on with the new baby!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Wake up, Misty."<em>

"_Hmm…I don't wanna."_

"_Come along now, darling. You can't spend all day sleeping."_

"_Of course I can."_

_Misty snuggled her face deeper into the soft…pillow? Mattress? Truth be told, Misty had no idea where she was. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and lifted her head, staring down at whatever she was resting on. It was white and fluffy, very soft and airy. Was it…a cloud?_

"_Wh…where am I?" Misty mumbled._

"_I can't tell you that, dear!"_

_Misty gasped and whipped around. She had been dimly aware that someone was talking to her, but it just occurred to the gym leader that she wasn't sure who it was. Peering up, she was met with eyes quite similar to her own: a dark, piercing green that could easily be compared to emeralds. _

_The eyes belonged to a woman, who was clearly older looking, but still very beautiful. She had light brown hair with natural red highlights, wavy and ending right at her shoulders._

"_G…Grandma?" Misty stammered, her eyes growing wide in disbelief._

"_Yes, dear, it's me," Amy smiled at her granddaughter. _

"_B…but…how?" Misty looked around. "You're not…" She stopped and let out a quick gasp, jumping to her feet. She lowered a hand to her stomach and found that the bump was no longer there. Misty shrieked and immediately became more frantic than she already had been. "Am I dead? Did I die during-"_

"_No, my love, you're just fine!" Amy grabbed onto the younger woman's face. "Everything is okay."_

"_Where's my baby?" Misty whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Is she okay?"_

"_Yes, she's just fine," Amy reassured Misty. "Absolutely beautiful, as well. But you can't see her just yet."_

"_Why?" Misty straightened out her shoulders._

"_You'll just have to wait until you wake up," Amy patted Misty's cheek._

"_Wake up?" Misty blinked as her grandmother strolled past her. "You mean…I'm just asleep?"_

"_Yes dear. Just asleep."_

_Mulling it over for a few moments, a huge grin soon broke out onto Misty's face as she turned around and charged towards her grandmother, engulfing the older woman in a tight embrace._

"_Oh, Misty!" Amy laughed as she hugged back."What ever was that for?"_

"_I haven't seen you in so long," Misty breathed out. "And I know this is only a dream…but still. Everything seems so real…and I just love you, is all."_

"_Aw, well of course I love you too, Miss Misty!" Amy brushed through Misty's long red hair. The gym leader giggled, loving to hear her grandmother use that beloved nickname for her once more. "But…there is something I need to discuss with you."_

"_What is it?" Misty leaned forward ever so slightly._

"_You have to forgive your mother," Amy responded simply._

"_Oh, no," Misty shook her head and lowered her arms down to her sides. "No, no, no."_

"_Misty…"_

"_Not ever."_

"_But dear…"_

"_How could I ever forgive her?" Misty finally looked up at her grandmother, tears filling her eyes. "She and Dad…they both knew that the baby could've been born at any time! I know she wasn't due for another three weeks, but they also know that my body doesn't deal well with this kind of stuff!"_

"_I understand your anger towards them, believe me I do," Amy held Misty's shoulder. The red head let out a sharp breath, but didn't pull away or become defiant. She loved and respected her grandmother far too much to do such a thing. "But if they knew that you would go into labor and that such a bad thing would happen to your daughter, there's no way they would've left you."_

"_But they did. And that's all that matters."_

"_Think about your little girl, Misty," Amy continued. Smiling gently, she added, "my little great granddaughter." Clearing her throat, Amy looked Misty in the eyes and resumed, "she needs her grandparents. You can't deny them from her or her from them. A family sticks together no matter what."_

"_Clearly my parents never got that message," Misty huffed as she rolled her eyes._

_A sympathetic expression overtook Amy's face as she ran her fingers through Misty's hair. "Will you at least consider it, sweetheart? For me?"_

_Misty sighed and once again looked into her grandmother's eyes. She could see so much of Michelle in them…Misty wondered if she would be able to see the same thing in her new daughter. Smiling softly, she nodded and replied, "Alright. I'll think about it."_

"_Excellent," Amy grinned boldly at her favorite granddaughter. "Now, let's catch up, shall we?"_

**XXX**

Dr. Aaron and his assistants were still busy stitching up Misty, so Ash was left to wait by her side. He rested his head next to her own, watching his beautiful wife as she slept. Sure, the sleep had been brought on by anesthesia, but she looked pretty none the less. Ash could watch her like this all day, especially knowing that she wasn't feeling any pain.

"Mr. Ketchum…"

Ash sat up and turned around, finding himself staring at a kind looking, middle aged nurse. She was smiling brightly at the Pokémon master, and it took Ash about a minute to realize she was holding a little pink bundle in her arms.

"Is that…?" Ash slowly trailed his eyes up from the blanket to the nurse's face.

"Yes, this is your daughter," the nurse nodded. "She's a perfectly healthy little thing; passed every single physical exam."

"And she's breathing okay?" Ash exhaled.

"Just fine! She was born at 1:05 AM, and weighs 5 pounds, 3 ounces." Smiling down at the baby once more, the nurse looked back at Ash and asked, "Would you like to hold her?"

Ash knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. It was terribly frustrating. So, instead, Ash just nodded, eagerly holding his arms out for the little girl. Giggling, the nurse walked forward and carefully handed the baby over to her father. The tiny newborn let out a few sounds of discontent as she switched arms, but once she was settled in Ash's hold, she grew quiet once again.

The Pokémon master cast his eyes downward to finally look at his baby daughter. As soon as he saw her face, a gasp escaped from his throat.

The newborn girl had a light but warm skin tone, the same as her older siblings. It was the perfect mix of Ash's light, glowing tan and Misty's ivory complexion. Also like her siblings, the baby had been born with a full head of thin, wispy hair, but the color was very unique; something Ash was convinced he'd never seen before. It was a dark red, not at all brown but certainly not as bright as Misty and Michelle's tresses. Ash assumed it was a result of his black hair darkening Misty's fiery red locks, and he loved it. The color was so inimitable and stunning; it was absolutely perfect for his baby girl. The only thing he couldn't see yet was the color of her eyes, for the newborn had her eyes shut as tightly as possible.

Glancing up, Ash realized that the nurse had left. Smiling, he turned his attention back down to the baby and greeted in a near whisper, "hi baby girl. I'm your Daddy! Do you recognize my voice?"

The newborn cooed quietly, which surprised Ash. She turned her head into Ash's chest and nestled it there, her warm breath tickling Ash's skin through the material of his shirt.

"I love you," Ash murmured, tears clouding up his otherwise bright russet eyes. He looked over his shoulder and set his eyes on Misty. Chuckling softly, he turned around and returned to his spot, all while keeping the baby in his arms.

"This is your Mommy," Ash informed the infant, holding her next to Misty's head. "She's sleeping right now. You were a little rough on her. But don't worry, she'll be just fine! I bet she's having a nice dream right now."

The baby pursed her lips and rolled her head to the side so she and Misty's cheeks were touching. Misty let out a long, peaceful breath at the contact, and Ash wondered if she could feel it in her sleep.

"I have three beautiful girls," Ash put his head back down, on the other side of the baby's. "Two right here and one back home. And I have a handsome little guy, too. I'm definitely a very lucky man, don't you think?"

**XXX**

Once Misty was all fixed up and put in a normal hospital room to recover, Ash reluctantly put his newborn daughter in the bassinet that had been left in the room, making sure to kiss both her and Misty before he left the room. As much as Ash wanted to spent all of his time with those two at the moment, but both were asleep, and Ash had promised to call Brock and the twins as soon as he could after the baby's arrival.

But first, he'd have to face everyone in the waiting room, which Ash knew would be an interesting experience.

As soon as he walked through the doors, silence fell on the waiting room, where everyone just seconds before had been talking and moving about. The sight of Ash settled them all down in an instant, however, and no one dared asked the question that was circling in all of their brains.

"Well?" Ash asked as a big smile crept its way onto his handsome face. "Isn't anyone going to ask me about my beautiful new daughter?"

At this, everyone took a sigh of relief, and it all came together as one loud, joyful sound. Ash chuckled as everyone began speaking again, throwing questions out at him as their eyes shined with curiosity.

"She's healthy, right?" Delia asked, a somewhat nervous infliction set in her voice.

"Yes, she is," Ash beamed.

"What color hair and eyes does she have?" Dawn clasped her hands together.

"She has really pretty, dark red hair," Ash answered happily. "And I don't know what color eyes she has. She hasn't opened them yet."

"How big was she?" May grinned.

"Just a little over 5 pounds," Ash thought back to holding the baby in his arms for the first time. "She's really small, and adorable."

"Do you know what you're going to name her yet?" Lily leaned forward in her chair.

"Not a clue," Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"And how is Misty doing?" Daisy posed this question.

"I think she's just fine," Ash gave a single nod. "They had to give her anesthesia, because she was going berserk when they were preparing her for the surgery, so right now she's still asleep. I'm hoping she'll wake up soon, though. I really want her to see the baby!"

"That's wonderful, Ash!" Professor Oak praised the younger man. "Are you going back to be with them, now?"

"In a little bit," Ash looked back at the doors before turning his eyes back to everyone in the waiting room. "I have to call Brock and tell him about the baby!"

"Of course he'll want to know all about her!" Iris giggled airily. "He _is _her godfather, after all!"

"Right," Ash chuckled. "I'm going to do that right away! I can't spend too much more time away from my little girl."

Ash ran all the way to the video phones, but it felt more like he was floating on air. He was just _so _happy; it was absolutely wonderful! Ash was a happy person by nature, but at the moment, he was _overjoyed. _The man could only remember three other instances in which he was this happy: the day he became Pokémon master, his and Misty's wedding, and the birth of Aiden and Michelle. Smiling giddily to himself, Ash decided he never wanted this bubbly feeling to go away.

Sitting down at the same exact video phone he'd used before, Ash grabbed the phone and held it against the side of his head, dialing the number to his house and bouncing up and down in his seat as he waited for Brock to pick up. A slightly older man was walking by at that moment, and upon noticing Ash squirming in his seat like a bug type, instantly became alarmed and hurried away as quickly as possible.

When the screen came to life, Ash chuckled and moved in closer to the camera, his eyes blinking rapidly as Brock came into focus. The Pokémon doctor was smiling, but when he realized how close Ash was to the camera, he shrieked and nearly fell off his own chair.

"Gah, Ash!" Brock held onto his heart. "Man…"

"Ha, I'm sorry Brock!" Ash laughed as he finally stopped blinking. "But I can't help it! I'm _sooo_ happy!"

"I'm guessing everything is okay with the baby?" Brock settled himself back in his seat.

"Yes, and more!" Ash's whole face was glowing. "She's _beautiful_ Brock! And healthy, and adorable, and just awesome!"

"That's great, Ash!" Brock was now grinning from ear to ear. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Ash finally managed to calm down a little and sit still in his chair. "I can't wait for you to come here first thing in the morning and see her! You're going to love her, Brock."

"I already do," Brock chuckled. "She's my goddaughter, how can I not?"

"That's true," Ash laughed.

"DADDY! DADDY!"

Ash jumped at the sudden cries, and so did Brock. Before either could react, the twins were climbing Brock like a human jungle gym, settling themselves on his lap as they locked frantic eyes with their father.

"Aiden? Michelle?" Ash looked between his older children. "I thought I told you two to go to bed!"

"No, you said _try_, Daddy," Michelle shook her head.

"Yeah, we tried, and it didn't work," Aiden folded his arms. "See? We listen, Daddy."

"Guess you've got a point there," Ash shrugged. He found it useless to argue with the twins. They were pretty good with rebuttles anyway.

"Is baby sister here?" Michelle squealed.

"Yep, and just wait until you guys see her! She's wonderful."

"I want to see her now!" Aiden beamed.

"It's too late to come visit now, little guy," Ash laughed. "But, first thing in the morning, you'll see her! Mommy already told me she wants you two to be the first ones to see the baby."

"Did you tell her what we said? About bein' brave?" Michelle tilted her head as an innocent little smile graced her lips. "You promised you would, Daddy."

"Yes, and I did tell her! She was very happy to know that you two thought she was so brave."

"Is Mommy okay?" Aiden pulled his shoulders back.

"Yes. She's sleeping now! And she wasn't in any pain when the baby was born. Everything is just fine!"

"Good," Michelle yawned, leaning back onto Brock's chest as her eyes began to close.

"See how tired you two are?" Ash leaned his head on his hand. "Now that the baby is here, and you know that Mommy is okay, will you guys _finally_ go to sleep?"

Aiden and Michelle looked at each other, but eventually nodded and chirped, "yes Daddy."

"Awesome," Ash straightened his back out and grinned boldly at both of his children. "I love you two very much."

"Love you too, Daddy," Michelle smiled sleepily.

"See you tomorrow?" Aiden asked, as if making sure that was still set in stone.

"Yes, buddy," Ash laughed. "See you tomorrow!"

Once the twins left, Ash talked to Brock for a little while longer before the Pokémon doctor told Ash to go back to his wife and newborn daughter. Ash was more than happy to oblige, so he hung up the phone and raced back through the waiting room, leaving behind a very confused batch of friends and family.

"Did he just have a baby, or did he just drink several cans of soda?" Drew scoffed.

"Be nice," May sighed as she flicked Drew on the forehead.

**XXX**

As soon as Ash walked back into the room, he was met by the crying of his newborn daughter, and a nurse hovering over the bassinet.

"Is my daughter okay?" Ash cried, running over to the nurse. He quickly noticed it was the same woman who had first brought the baby to him, and she looked just as happy as she had before.

"Oh, yes, there's nothing wrong!" The nurse giggled. "She's just hungry is all. But I'm afraid your wife is still asleep."

Ash glanced towards the bed, and realized that Misty was, in fact, still out of it. "Oh. I gotcha."

"If I brought you a bottle, could you feed the baby on your own?" The nurse asked.

"Sure I can!" Ash beamed.

"Alright, I'll be right back with it," the older woman nodded. When she was halfway towards the door, she turned back around and laughed, "oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Claire. I'll be your wife's nurse."

"Nice to meet you," Ash grinned. "I'm Ash."

"I know who you are, of course!" Claire giggled joyfully as she walked out of the room and down the hallway. Ash blushed slightly after she left. He sort of knew that it didn't make a lot of sense to introduce himself, but Ash liked to do it anyway. It was almost a habit at this point.

Turning back to the baby, Ash lifted her out of her bassinet and began to gently bounce her up and down, walking around the room as he tried to comfort the newborn.

"The nice lady is going to bring you a bottle," Ash whispered to the baby. "Don't cry, sweetie. Daddy is going to feed you, yes he is!"

Surprisingly, the little girl managed to calm down slightly, although she was still sniffling and occasionally letting out a little sob. Just then, it occurred to Ash that he hadn't checked if the baby had the right amount of fingers and toes. It sounded completely stupid, but Ash had done the same thing with Aiden and Michelle. It was just some kind of natural need he had with his newborns.

As gently as he could, Ash pulled one of the baby's arms out of the blanket. As soon as it was free, she shrieked yet again and grabbed onto Ash's index finger.

"Yes baby, that's my finger," Ash chuckled softly. He shook it gently and asked in a baby voice, "Will you let go of me, pwease?"

The infant gurgled and ended up squeezing Ash's finger more tightly. Ash was quite surprised that the barely hour old baby was so strong. She was holding onto him for dear life!

"You're not gonna let me look at your hand, are ya?" Ash smirked. The baby pursed her lips again, something that she had done when Ash first held her, but otherwise made no other noise or movements.

"I'm back!"

Claire came skirting back into the room, a little plastic bottle held in her hands. Approaching Ash, she smiled sweetly and held the bottle out for him to take. Laughing playfully, Ash reached out, causing the baby to let go of his finger and whine once again. Taking the bottle, Ash went to sit down in the chair in the corner of the room. Once seated, he carefully cradled the baby in one arm and held the bottle in his other hand. As soon as Ash put the bottle in front of the baby's mouth, she began to eat, which caused a huge grin to break out on Ash's face.

"Hey, look at that," Ash sniggered, "you've got my appetite already!"

"You're very good with the feeding," Claire commented as she moved over to Misty in order to check on the still slumbering gym leader. "Most new fathers aren't even able to hold the bottle!"

"Well, I've already done this before with my two older kids," Ash just kept watching his daughter eat. "So I'm used to it. It's been a few years, but I guess I haven't forgotten anything."

The baby ate until the bottle was empty, at which point she pulled away from it and gurgled quietly.

"All full?" Ash asked the little girl. Once again she pursed her lips, causing Ash to coo softly. He found it adorable that the baby kept doing that.

"Nice work," Claire smiled. "Now all you have to do is pat her back and wait for her to get the air out."

"Right," Ash nodded. He held the baby against his chest, patting her back and watching her little face all the while. He was hoping that her eyes would slip open, if just a little bit, but they remained shut the entire time. She did, however, reach up with one of her little hands and touch it to the side of her father's neck. Ash took the opportunity to turn his head and count her little fingers. One…two…three…four…five.

"Who's a perfect little girl?" Ash murmured to the baby against her chest. She let out a tiny burp, leading Ash to chuckle as he lowered the girl back into a cradling hold. "I guess you know that it's you, huh?"

"Do you want to stay with the baby, or shall I take her to the nursery?" Claire asked.

"Oh, I'll stay here with her," Ash slowly rocked the baby back and forth. "It's no problem."

Claire smiled and nodded before leaving the room. Once again, it was just Ash, the unnamed baby, and Misty, who was still asleep in her hospital bed.

"I wish your Mommy would wake up," Ash began talking to the baby. He liked having conversations with her, even though he knew she wouldn't respond. "We need a name for you, baby girl! Maybe, for now, I could just give you a nickname. Let's see…your Mommy, to me, is "angel." Aiden, that's your big brother, is "champ." And Michelle, your big sister, is "princess." What can I call _you_?"

Ash studied the infant, trying to come up with a good nickname that wouldn't sound out of place with the others.

"I could call you "sleeping beauty" because you're really pretty, and all you do right now is sleep," Ash smirked. "But that seems a little too long, doesn't it? Everyone else's nickname is just one name."

The baby continued to purse her lips and gently squirm in Ash's arms. Sighing, Ash softly began to stroke her dark red hair. He loved the way it felt, and even more, he adored the unique color of it.

"Your hair is so dark and orange," Ash chuckled. "Like a pumpkin." Gasping, Ash held the baby a little closer and beamed down at her little being. "A pumpkin! That's it! What a perfect nickname!" Rubbing his nose against the little girl's, Ash cooed, "Okay baby, your nickname is going to be "pumpkin"! Do you love it? I think it's perfect!"

The infant let out a high pitched squeal and sneezed right in Ash's face. Ash pulled back up and shook his head, raising one arm to clean off his face.

"Guess that's your way of saying yes," Ash smiled.

"Mmmm…"

Ash grew wide eyed and began to look around the room, holding his newborn daughter as close to his chest as possible without hurting her. He was afraid that someone had snuck into the room, or was trying to. What if they wanted his baby? Ash would never give her up, not ever!

When his eyes landed on the bed in the middle of the room, Ash saw Misty's eyes slowly opening, and her body beginning to move as she awoke from her slumber.

_Oh, it was just Misty…_Ash mentally smacked himself in the head. He really was too overprotective. He beamed down at the baby in his arms and whispered, "Mommy is waking up, cutie pie! She's finally going to hold you, and get to know you, and-"

"Ash?"

His heart nearly stopped. That was Misty's voice, he knew it. She sounded weak, and tired, but it was still her. Grinning, he stood up and walked over to the worn gym leader, who still had her eyes half shut as she moaned softly.

"Good morning angel," Ash greeted warmly. "Well…it's like…3:30 AM. But that's still the morning, right?"

"Where's my baby?" Misty mumbled. She clearly had no interest in Ash's jokes at the moment.

"I have her right here," Ash assured his wife. The baby cooed, as if telling her mother that her father wasn't lying.

Right away, Misty's eyes snapped all the way open and she threw herself up, eyes sparkling at the sight of the pink bundle in Ash's arms.

"I want her," Misty held her arms out, "please, let me hold her!"

"Okay, just relax!" Ash laughed. "You've been sleeping for a couple of hours now, and you sprang up kind of suddenly. I don't want you passing out or anything."

"You're right, jumping up like that wasn't a very good idea," Misty sighed as she leaned back against the pillows in her bed. Turning her eyes on Ash once more, she showed off a charming little smile and asked, "Could I hold her _now?_"

The baby began to whimper and unhappily squirm in Ash's arms. She managed to free her arms from the blanket and wave them in the air, her cries only increasing in pitch with each passing second.

"Yeah, I think she wants you…" Ash sounded rather nervous. He knelt down and passed the baby off to Misty, who quickly took hold of the infant and held the little thing close to her chest.

Almost instantly, the baby stopped crying. She wasn't entirely sure of who was holding her, but it felt incredibly safe, for some reason. She hiccupped and lowered her arms, brushing one little hand against her cheek.

"What do you think?" Ash asked quietly.

"I love her," Misty beamed as she shook her head. "She's so perfect. And she's healthy. That's all I could ask for."

"I…I know you must be upset about not being able to see her when she was first born," Ash bit his lip. Misty sighed and looked up at Ash, shrugging as a small smile appeared on her face.

"I am, I guess. But…we have a healthy baby. I see her now, and I see how wonderful she is. Of course I wish I had been able to be awake when she was born, but if I had, she might not be as healthy as she is right now." Stopping to think about it, Misty added slowly and unsurely, "she might not even be in my arms right now if I hadn't been put asleep for it."

"That's true," Ash nodded. He grinned carefully at Misty and continued, "I'm glad you're not beating yourself up over it. You're still very much her mother, no matter how she was born."

"Thanks Ash," Misty blushed slightly at this. She turned her attention back onto the baby, watching as the little girl went back to her habit of pursing her lips. "Oh, sweetie," Misty smiled tearfully as she stroked the baby's hair. "You are so, _so_ beautiful. You know who I am, don't you?"

The baby groaned in a quiet, infant like fashion. It was cute, and made both Ash and Misty laugh. Turning her head closer in to Misty, the baby slowly opened her mouth, and then, for the first time, her eyes.

"She's opening her eyes!" Ash cheered quietly.

"She hasn't yet?" Misty glanced at Ash. Her raven haired husband laughed just once and shook his head, leaning in to eagerly watch the reveal of their newborn daughter's eyes. When they were fully opened, both Ash and Misty gasped.

The newborn had big, wide eyes. They were sparkling and full of curiosity. The color of the tiny thing's huge orbs is what stood out the most, however. Just like her mother and sister, the little girl had dark but bright green eyes.

"Emerald," Ash breathed. "Emerald eyes."

"I like your eyes little lady," Misty giggled, bringing the baby up closer to her face so she could touch noses with the little infant. "They look a lot like mine, huh?"

The baby closed her mouth and began to look around the room, making no noise as she observed her new surroundings. When they landed back on Misty, the baby began to let out some eager cries, bouncing up and down in Misty's arms.

"Do you know who I am?" Misty gasped playfully. The baby shrieked happily, causing Misty to laugh joyfully. "Yes, I'm your Mommy! And I love you very much, baby girl."

"She needs a name," Ash reminded his wife as she kissed the newborn's face. "I keep calling the poor thing by the most generic terms. Although, I did already come up with my special nickname for her, so there's that."

"What's her special nickname?" Misty finally took her face away from the baby's.

"Pumpkin," Ash beamed. "Because the color of her hair reminds me of one."

"That's cute," Misty smiled. "But, you're right. She does need a real name."

"Should we do that now?"

Misty twisted her mouth in thought before slowly shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. I want to wait for Aiden and Michelle to come see her tomorrow. They should help us pick out her name. Besides, she's gone nearly 9 months without a real name, what's four or five more hours going to hurt?"

"Good point," Ash agreed. He wanted to give the baby a name more than anything, but having the twins help them out with such an important task was something Ash wanted as well. He climbed up onto the bed to lay down next to Misty, and took the baby out of her arms.

"Hey, I wasn't done kissing her!" Misty whined.

"You can still kiss her," Ash smirked. "Just lay back down."

"Why?" Misty huffed.

"Just do it," Ash laughed.

Misty sighed and rolled her eyes, but did as Ash asked. Gently, Ash laid the baby down in between them and gently tickled her cheek. The little girl squealed before sneezing once again, this time the strange action frightening her a little bit. She started to wail, but Misty was quick to hold the child's head in her hands and sing a lullaby; the same one she used to put Aiden and Michelle to sleep.

The song seemed to do the trick, for after a few short minutes, the baby yawned and closed her eyes again, falling into another deep sleep.

"Good girl," Misty breathed, leaning over to kiss the sleeping infant's nose.

Ash smiled to himself and reached over, placing a hand on Misty's back. She looked up at Ash with bewildered eyes, quickly understanding as Ash moved his face closer to hers and kissed her lips.

"I love you," Ash murmured with their lips still touching.

Misty giggled softly and pressed her forehead against Ash's, closing her eyes in bliss. "I love you, too."

**XXX**

"I'm so happy they finally let me change out of that stupid, uncomfortable hospital gown."

Ash smiled at his wife, who had put on her own pair of pajamas: a sky blue tank top and pink and white shorts. Misty hadn't gotten much sleep, since she'd been too busy fawning over and feeding the baby all night.

"Yeah, you're much happier now," Ash laughed. He was the one holding the baby now, although she was still sleeping at the moment. Ash hoped she would at least wake up for when Aiden and Michelle came to see her.

"When do you think they'll be here?" Misty turned her eyes up to Ash.

"Brock just texted me a few minutes ago that they just got to the hospital," Ash shrugged. "So they should be here very soon. Everyone in the waiting room is probably holding them up."

"Good point."

"Do you think the baby is going to be able to handle seeing so many people today?" Ash asked worriedly. "Because you know they all want to see her, and of course I want her to meet all of them too! I'm just afraid of her getting scared, or too tired, or-"

"Ash, don't you remember when I was pregnant with her?" Misty interrupted Ash with a smirk.

"Yeah, like it was yesterday," Ash teased. "Oh wait, it was!"

"Not funny," Misty smiled as she shook her head. "Besides, I don't mean _literally. _I mean what she used to _do _when I was pregnant with her."

"No. What?"

"Every time someone touched my stomach, or started talking around me, she would start kicking and moving around like crazy!" Misty laughed. "This little one likes to be the center of attention. She'll handle today just fine."

"You're right!"Ash chuckled.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, causing Misty to gasp and grin boldly at her husband. "That must be them! Hurry, Ash, open the door!"

"I can't, I have the baby in my arms," Ash motioned towards the sleeping bundle he was holding.

"Then give her to me!" Misty cried. Ash sighed and walked forward, Misty snatching the baby from him before he could do a thing. This disturbed the baby somewhat, as she unleashed a gentle howl. "Oh, Mommy is sorry, cutie pie. She didn't mean to scare you." Upon hearing Misty's voice, the baby pursed her lips and buried her face in her mother's chest, earning a little smile from Misty.

While his wife was busy watching after the baby, Ash opened the door to her room. As soon as he pulled it back, he was jumped on by two small figures, who were excitedly shrieking and holding onto him for dear life.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"We missed you, Daddy!"

"Aw, I missed you guys, too!" Ash laughed. He managed to pry both children off of him and put them by his feet, chuckling at their bright faces and wide smiles. Brock was standing in the doorway, beaming at the sight. He reached out and patted Ash's shoulder, causing the Pokémon master to look up in mystification.

"I just came to hand them off to you," Brock informed his best friend. "I think, right now, it should just be them with you guys. I'll be in the waiting room until you're ready for me to see the baby as well."

"Thanks Brocko," Ash showed off a toothy grin to the Pokémon doctor. Brock left, and Aiden and Michelle were still staring up at their father with big, curious eyes.

"Don't you guys wanna meet your baby sister?" Ash asked. They both nodded. "Okay, well, she's right over there!"

Ash pointed at the bed, and the twins first noticed their mother. She looked much better than she had the last time they'd seen her. She still seemed rather tired, but now the color had returned to her face, and she was out of the ugly hospital gown. The biggest change was her stomach. Misty still had a slight bump, but it was nowhere near as big as it had been the day before, or even in the past few months.

"Hi, you two!" Misty greeted softly.

"Mommy!" They both squealed and raced towards the bed. Their loud shrieks awoke the baby, who instantly began crying and reaching up for Misty's shirt.

"Huh?" Michelle blinked, and Aiden recoiled slightly. They had finally realized that the baby was being held by their mother, and that her little hand was now visible. It was as if it had just hit the twins that their baby sister was real.

"You guys should probably be a little more quiet," Ash advised the twins. "The baby has very sensitive ears, so she'll wake up or get upset really easily."

"Sorry," they apologized simultaneously.

"You don't have to be sorry, you didn't know," Ash smiled sweetly. "Here, I'll put you guys on the bed so you can get a good look at the baby." Ash bent over and gathered the children in his arms, carrying them over to the bed. He put them down next to Misty, and watched as they set their nervous eyes on the pink bundle in her arms.

"Aiden, Michelle, this is your baby sister," Misty held the little girl out to the twins. By now, she had stopped crying, and was staring up at the two older children with her wide, green eyes.

"She's got the same color eyes as me, Mommy," Michelle commented.

"Yes, she does," Misty giggled.

"She's really tiny," Aiden just kept staring at the baby. "Can I touch her?"

"Of course you can," Misty smiled. "Just be gentle with her."

Aiden reached out and gently stroked the newborn's hair. She let out a little coo, and reached up with one of her hands, grabbing onto Aiden's finger and gripping it as tightly as she could.

"Mommy, help!" Aiden cried, trying to get out of his baby sister's hold.

"Buddy, it's okay, she's not going to hurt you," Ash chuckled. "She just likes to do that to sometimes. Especially to me. I think she knows that the men in this family will protect her."

"So full of ourselves, aren't we?" Misty smirked at her husband, who was sticking his chest out in pride.

"Mommy, what's her name?" Michelle looked at her mother.

"Well…she doesn't have one, yet," Misty giggled sheepishly. "Your Daddy and I weren't exactly sure what name was good for her. We thought maybe you two could help us pick out a perfect name!"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, pulling his hands back to himself once the baby finally let go of his finger.

"Oh, I know!" Michelle excitedly raised her hand. "What about Mimi? I like that one!"

"No, it sounds too similar to your name, princess!" Ash laughed. "I still like the name Kate. Or Delaney."

"I don't think she looks like a Kate," Misty twisted her mouth. "Or a Delaney. I do like the name Caterina, though."

"Ew, that's ugly," one of Ash's eyebrows twitched.

"Well who asked you?" Misty snarled.

Aiden, who had been sitting there quietly listening to the rest of his family's suggestions, suddenly smiled sweetly and piped up, "I think she's Elizabeth."

"Huh?" Ash looked up at his son. "What did you just say, champ?"

"Elizabeth," Aiden suggested again. "She looks like Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth…" Misty repeated softly, glancing down at the baby girl in her arms. The newborn was staring back up at her mother, her eyes still sparkling and her lips somewhat tugging at the corners, as if she was trying to smile. Beaming, Misty added, "Actually, I can see that. I think she looks like an Elizabeth, too!"

"Elizabeth Ketchum," Ash tried out the full name. Grinning, he nodded and agreed, "I like it! I think that's a great name for her!"

"What do you think, Shelly?" Misty turned to her older daughter. "Do you like that name?"

Michelle thought about it for a moment before jumping up and down on the bed. "I love it, Mommy! It's so cute! And her nickname could be Lizzie!"

"Great, she finally has a name," Ash happily pumped his fist. "But what about her middle name? I still think Lyla is cute."

Misty turned her face towards Ash, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead ten times over. She did not at all look amused with his idea of a middle name.

"Or not…" Ash nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"I think her middle name can wait, for now," Misty huffed. Smiling down at the baby, she continued more happily, "she's got a first name, and that's all that matters."

"Yeah, Elizabeth," Aiden smiled and leaned down to kiss the little girl on her cheek. "I love Elizabeth."

"Aww!" Misty squealed, absolutely adoring the scene her son was creating. "That is _so _cute! Do you want to hold her, Aiden?"

Aiden looked up at Misty with concern set in his russet eyes. "I'm afraid of hurting her."

"You won't, I'll show you how to hold her," Misty shook her head. She instructed Aiden on how to fold his arms, and once they were set, she gently placed Elizabeth in his hold. Aiden gasped nervously at first, but once Elizabeth was settled, he began to relax and smile down at her. "What do you think?"

"She's cute," Aiden giggled. Elizabeth cooed quietly as the tug in the corners of her lips was pulled up even more. "Look, Mommy! She's happy!"

Misty examined Elizabeth's face and beamed at the sight. "Yeah, she's smiling! How sweet!"

"Good Lizzie," Aiden commended the baby.

"So, champ, where did you get the name Elizabeth from?" Ash asked his young son.

"The book!" Aiden replied proudly. "I thought about my favorite book that Mommy always reads us! The girl in the book, her name is Princess Elizabeth. And she's brave, and pretty, and loves to have fun, and she loves Pokémon, too!"

"Oh right, your little fairy tale!" Misty giggled. Glancing towards her husband, Misty teasingly joked, "See, Ash? Reading _does _get you somewhere!"

* * *

><p><strong>The ending was meh. I couldn't come up with anything else XD The chapter was already almost 7,000 words long. I had nothing else left in me! Next chapter, everyone else who's still stuck in the waiting room will get to meet the baby :D And more will be revealed...about stuff.<strong>

**Last chapter got an awesome number of reviews, you guys rock! And I'm shocked that you think I would actually kill off a poor little baby XD If I did that, I wouldn't be able to read my own story. In fact, I would HATE my own story :P Everything is all happy here! Well...usually :P**


	30. Showing Off and Showing Up

**Guys, I'm still alive, it's okay. Yeah...this chapter took me sooo much longer than I thought it would. I think maybe because it's alot of fluff, and I've actually gotten used to writing a jucier plot thanks to all the adventure stuff that happened in the past chapters of this story. The end of this chapter IS super dramatic though. Least I think so. You guys can tell me what you think ;)**

**Last time, Ash and Misty bonded with their new baby girl, who Aiden decided looked like an Elizabeth. She still, however, doesn't have a middle name, which is still up for debate. But first, it's time for Elizabeth to meet the rest of her family and friends! Wonder how that will work out...**

* * *

><p>"I have such pretty girls, don't I?"<p>

Michelle giggled, leaning her head back against Ash's chest. She was being held in his lap and secured by his left arm, while Elizabeth, who had fallen back asleep sometime in the past 20 minutes, was being cradled in his right.

"I'm so lucky to have such beautiful daughters!" Ash continued, rocking them back and forth. "But I suppose it's because they look like their Mommy, huh?"

Michelle laughed again and turned around to bury her face in Ash's shirt as she cried out, "Daddy!" in mock embarrassment.

"Actually, Ash, I don't think Elizabeth looks like me," Misty shook her head.

"Huh?" Ash looked towards Misty, his eyes growing wide. "Of course she looks like you, Mist! She's beautiful!"

"Well, of _course_ she's beautiful," Misty smirked. "But you only think she looks like me because she has my coloring. When I look at her face…I see you, Ash. She looks like a female version of you, but with red hair, green eyes, and lighter skin."

"So she looks more like you," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Misty groaned. "She has my _coloring. _You know, the hair and the eyes. But her mouth, her nose, her ears, the shape of her face…those are all yours."

"I don't think so," Ash was eyeing Misty as though she were crazy.

"I mean it! If she had black hair and brown eyes, she would look just like Aiden did as a baby! You're just not seeing it because of the red hair and green eyes."

"Misty, she's _way_ too cute of a girl to look like me," Ash shook his head.

"Well then, you're wrong, because you make a pretty good looking girl," Misty giggled.

"Fine," Ash was blushing such a bright shade of red now it looked as if he'd been painted, "if you think Elizabeth looks _so_ much like me, we'll just have to bring our friends in here and see what they say!"

"I'd be happy to," Misty grinned. "They're all going to agree with me anyway."

Huffing, Ash pulled Michelle off of him and gently placed her back on the bed, patting her head before walking over to Misty's side in order to hand off the baby. Because of the stitches in her stomach, Misty was having difficulty leaning forward or doing much movement at all, so anytime she wanted the baby, Ash would have to get up and give her Elizabeth that way.

"I'll go get them now," Ash stood back up to his full height.

"That's fine," Misty gently stroked Elizabeth's cheek. "Just don't bring too many at once. Even though I think Elizabeth likes to be the center of attention, I don't want her to get scared. She wasn't as used to hearing their voices as she was to hearing you, me, and the twins."

"Okay, no problem," Ash nodded. He looked at his two older children, who were laying in the bed on their stomachs and coloring on some paper that Tracey had given them. "Aiden, Michelle, do you wanna stay here with Mommy?"

"Uh huh," the children answered simultaneously.

With that settled, Ash turned on a heel and walked out of the room, down the hallway and into the waiting room. Many of their visitors had fallen asleep, causing Ash to chuckle. He first set his eyes on his mother, and once he saw she was awake, beamed and jumped over to her.

Hearing her son's footsteps, Delia looked up at the happy man and giggled sweetly. "Hello there, Ashy! Do you need something, sweetheart?"

"Yes," Ash grinned. "You."

"Me?" Delia pointed at herself and looked bewildered.

"Yes you," Ash chuckled. "Come on, I wanna show you something!"

"What?"

"My baby," Ash smiled boldly.

"Are you sure?" Delia's eyes widened at this. "Is Misty okay with it? I don't want to overwork her."

"She's fine, Mom. She wants everyone to see Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth?" Delia asked quietly. "That's her name?"

"Oops, I forgot to mention that," Ash nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we named her Elizabeth. Aiden came up with it! We're still working on a middle name, though."

"Oh, of course I would love to see her!" Delia jumped up and clasped her hands together. "I could even bring her the presents I was going to give Misty at the baby shower yesterday!"

"P…presents?" Ash stuttered. He suddenly realized he had yet to get anything for Elizabeth yet. Ash had gotten the twins presents when they were first born, so it was only right to do it for Elizabeth too. But he hadn't had any time yet. What was he going to do? Would Misty notice?

"Ash, are you coming?"

The Pokémon master looked up and noticed his mother standing in front of the doors that led to the hallway.

"Uh…yeah," Ash nodded. "Right behind you!"

He followed behind the older brunette, brimming with excitement over the simple thought that his mother was about to meet her little granddaughter for the first time. They reached Misty's room and Ash eagerly opened the door, standing aside to let his mother in first.

Delia waltzed into the room and beamed at Misty, slowly lowering her eyes to the little pink bundle in her daughter in law's arms.

"Hello Misty," Delia greeted softly.

"Hi Delia," Misty smiled. "Did you come to see the baby?"

"Elizabeth?" Delia questioned with sparkling eyes.

"Yes," Misty giggled. "Elizabeth…something Ketchum."

At this, Delia laughed and moved over to the bed, gently stroking Misty's hair as she looked down at the face of the newborn baby girl. The older woman gasped as tears filled her eyes. Delia whimpered happily and raised a hand near her mouth, trying her hardest to keep the tears of joy from slipping out of her russet eyes.

"Misty," Delia whispered, "she's so beautiful!"

"Isn't she?" Misty grinned. "I think she looks so much like Ash."

"Not even," Ash muttered under his breath.

"Oh, Misty, she does!" Delia squealed.

"What?" Ash shot his mother an incredulous stare.

"If she had black hair and slightly darker skin, she would look _just_ like Ash when he was a baby!" Delia trilled. "They have the same face! How precious!"

"Mom, Elizabeth looks like Misty!" Ash whined.

"Yes, as far as coloring is concerned," Delia nodded. "But this is literally what you looked like as a baby! That tiny little nose, oh my goodness! I don't believe it!"

"Me either," Ash rolled his eyes. "Lizzie does _not _look like me."

"Oh, shush Ash, you don't know what you're talking about," Delia glared at her son.

"Delia, do you want to hold her?" Misty looked up at her mother in law.

"I would love to, if you don't mind of course!"

"Not at all," Misty laughed gently. "I trust you with this little girl more than anyone else in the world. I just need you to bend down and take her. Moving is a little difficult for me at the moment."

"Oh dear, I completely forgot to ask you! How terrible of me!" Delia held onto her head as she shook it. "Are you feeling alright, Misty?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Misty nodded. "Just really sore. But I'll live, I'm sure." She smiled at the older woman, who giggled and reached over to take the baby.

Cooing, Delia began to cuddle the child, hugging her close and rubbing their noses together. After a few minutes, Elizabeth's eyes opened, and Delia finally realized that they were a deep, piercing green.

"Aww, she even has the same color eyes as her Mommy!" Delia gently rocked the baby. "How beautiful! What a lovely girl!"

Elizabeth looked up at the older woman, and quickly felt very unsafe. She didn't know who this lady was, and she didn't recognize her voice either. Where was her Mommy? That's who Elizabeth knew! Her lip beginning to quiver, it only took a matter of seconds for the baby to burst out into tears, wailing as she thrashed her head around in a desperate search for her mother.

"Oh, what it is darling?" Delia asked the infant. "You don't want to be held by Grammy? Is that it?"

Elizabeth began to cry a little more loudly, turning her head away from Delia as she sobbed and screamed. Aiden and Michelle both grimaced and covered their ears, not quite liking how loud their little sister could get.

"I'm so sorry, Delia!" Misty fretted. She felt awful that the baby was freaking out in the kind woman's grasp. She knew that Delia hadn't done anything to upset the baby. "I don't know what's wrong, I'm so sorry!"

"Dear, there's no need to get worked up over it!" Delia giggled as she handed the baby back to her mother. Once back in Misty's arms, Elizabeth looked up at the gym leader's face and slowly began to settle down. "She's a newborn. The whole world is a very scary place for her right now. I'm sure she just feels safest with her Mommy!"

Elizabeth hiccupped as the flow of tears stopped, turning her head in order to bury her face in Misty's chest.

"Okay baby," Misty whispered to the little thing, pressing her hand against the back of his head. "Don't worry, everything is okay! That's just your Grammy, and she loves you very much, just like me and Daddy!"

"Oh, speaking of which, I brought baby Elizabeth a few things!" Delia grinned, showing off the pink gift bag to a stunned Misty.

"Mom, coming from you, a _few _things really means a _whole bunch_ of things," Ash smirked. "How are you spoiling this kid already?"

"Because she's my granddaughter!" Delia giggled. "Besides, these were meant as baby shower gifts from yesterday! I haven't even gotten Elizabeth's real first present yet!"

"That's so sweet of you, Delia," Misty smiled appreciatively at her mother-in-law as she reached out with one arm and took the bag. "Thank you very much!"

"Why don't you go ahead and open it?" Delia clasped her hands together. "I want to know what you think of them!"

"I would love to…" Misty trailed off uncertainly as she looked down at the baby in her arms. Opening the present would be next to impossible this way. Misty was afraid to give Elizabeth to someone else to hold, since the baby seemed to be testy that morning. "Oh, I know! Aiden, Michelle, would you like to see what Grammy got for Elizabeth?"

"You want us to open the present, Mommy?" Aiden pointed at himself and blinked.

"Yes, that would help me out a lot," Misty grinned at her young son. "What do you say?"

"Okay!" Aiden jumped for the present, quickly grabbing the bag and pulling it onto his lap. Misty giggled as the boy tore open the bag and began to rifle through it. You didn't really have to ask him twice if he wanted to open a present, regardless of whether it was for him or not. "Aiden, let your sister help out!"

"She can," Aiden didn't even look up at his mother. "But she's just sittin' there!"

"Cause you're keepin' it all to yourself!" Michelle retorted. She basically had to get into her brother's lap to reach into the bag and pull something out: a frilly pink and white dress with a matching clip-in bow.

"Ew, it's girly," Aiden stuck his tongue out.

"Well, that's because Elizabeth is a girl, sweetie," Misty giggled. "She won't like the same things that you do. I happen to think that dress is very, _very_ cute!"

The next outfit Michelle pulled out was a pair of pink footed pajamas, with three darker pink bows lining the front of the garment. Ash was observing the two outfits, standing there with wide eyes and a quickly beating heart. Not even Michelle's baby outfits had been that girly. What was he supposed to do with a bunch of bows and frills?

Among the other outfits was a little white sundress embroidered with pink and green flowers, a pink bathing suit with ruffles on the back, a pair of pink sandals with a flower on the front of each, and a white sunhat with a pink flower right above the hat's ruffled edge.

"Wow Mom, that sure is a lot of pink…" Ash commented statically.

"Well of course!" Delia chirped. "Elizabeth is a sweet little girl! She's going to wear lots and lots of pink!"

"They're all so cute," Misty beamed, "but I feel bad. You didn't need to get her that much, Delia."

"She's my granddaughter, of course I did," Delia reassuringly patted Misty's shoulder. At the sound of her grandmother's voice, Elizabeth finally looked away from Misty and up at the older woman, blinking her big, wide eyes as she stared up curiously at the slightly more familiar figure. Delia took notice of this and grinned down at the tiny girl. "Hello there, sweetheart! How are you doing?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth and let out a tiny squeak. Tilting her head, Misty cooed, "What is it, baby girl? That's your Grammy. You were mean to her before, and cried when she held you. That wasn't nice, little Lizzie."

Elizabeth just kept staring at Delia, her facial expression unchanging even when Delia waved at her.

"Maybe she won't cry if you try to hold her again," Misty suggested. "Should we try it?"

"If you want to," Delia nodded. "I don't want to get her all worked up again if that's not what you want, dear."

"No, I want you to hold her and not have her cry," Misty smiled sweetly. "She seems a little more comfortable now. Let's try it!"

Delia once again took the baby out of Misty's arms and held her close. This time, Elizabeth never cried, or screamed, or even quivered her lip. She just kept gawking at her grandmother, eventually yawning and closing her eyes.

"What a darling," Delia's eyes lit up. "So sweet! She's getting used to me, the little thing."

"She finally realized that she's safe with Grammy," Ash smirked.

"Sleep beautiful girl…" Delia gently rocked the baby back and forth. "You're not used to all of this attention, I know. That's alright, everyone loves you, sweetheart."

Elizabeth let out a long, content breath, but remained fast asleep. Ash and Misty both smiled at the scene, happy that their daughter no longer seemed afraid of her own grandmother.

"Who's going to meet Lizzie next, Mommy?" Michelle tilted her head.

"I'm not sure," Misty shrugged before looking at Ash. "Do you have a preference, Ashy?"

"I think maybe Brock should come see her next," Ash mused. "He _is_ her godfather, after all. And then your sisters and their husbands can come in, and the rest of our friends will follow. I think that sounds like a good order."

"Me too," Misty gave a slight nod. "Nice work, honey!"

"I can go get Brock, if you'd like," Delia finally looked up from the baby.

"You don't have to do that, Delia," Misty assured her mother-in-law. "Ash can go get him! You can spend some more time with Elizabeth."

"No, I insist!" Delia beamed, handing the baby over to Ash. Elizabeth finally made some more noise once she was back in Ash's arms, and although he couldn't be sure, they certainly sounded like happy babbles. Chuckling, Ash grinned down at the baby and gently rocked her back and forth.

"I'll be right back with him," Delia nodded at Misty and Ash as she skirted out the door.

"See?" Misty stuck her tongue out playfully at Ash. "Your Mom thinks that Elizabeth looks like you!"

"Misty, she's too _pretty _to look like me," Ash sighed. "No little girl would look pretty with my face, and Elizabeth is gorgeous."

"Why do you insist on believing she doesn't look like you?" Misty folded her arms.

"Because she doesn't!" Ash whined.

"Who are we talking about?" Brock's voice floated into the room. Ash turned around and found himself face to face with the boldly smiling Pokémon doctor.

"We're talking about little Elizabeth," Ash smiled as he motioned his head towards the bundle in his arms. "Misty thinks she looks just like me, but I don't think so at all. If you ask me, I think that Elizabeth looks just like her Mommy!"

"I'll be the judge of that," Brock smirked as he walked further into the room and held his arms out. "Hand her over."

Ash passed Elizabeth over to Brock, causing the baby to let out a displeased little squeak. She stared up at Brock with wide, frightened eyes, her pouty lips forming an 'O' as her gentle breathing quickened.

"Oh, what a beautiful baby girl," Brock smiled wide at the infant. "She's so gorgeous…nice work you guys!"

"Mommy and Daddy have cute babies," Michelle beamed, motioning towards herself and Aiden as she made her comment.

"You're so funny, little princess," Ash chuckled.

"Hello there munchkin," Brock cooed to Elizabeth, who was still wearing her anxious face. "I'm Brock! I'm your godfather. It's lovely to meet you, little darling!"

Elizabeth began to wail once again, causing Brock to furrow his brow and calmly bounce the baby up and down. He was used to crying infants, and the sudden action didn't take him off guard or even worry him. It did, however, confuse him to some extent. Brock could tell this wasn't a cry of hunger, or the need for a diaper change. It was just a sad, pathetic little series of whimpers that he couldn't decipher the reason for.

"Really? Again?" Misty gasped softly.

"What do you mean again?" Brock looked at Misty.

"Well, Elizabeth cried before when Delia held her for the first time," Misty explained. "I couldn't figure out why. There was no reason for it. And now she's doing it to you! I just don't get it."

"Is she afraid of people?" Ash asked Brock.

"I'm not sure…I guess she could be a little nervous," Brock shrugged, still trying to soothe the baby. "What happens if I give her back to you or Misty?"

"She stops," Misty replied.

Twisting his mouth, Brock turned to Ash and held the baby out towards him. Nodding just once, Ash took Elizabeth back into his own arms and cradled her close to his chest. Her sobbing stopped almost instantly, and she tilted her head back to examine her father's face.

"See?" Misty motioned her head towards Ash. "It's as if nothing ever happened."

"That _is_ a little strange," Brock held his chin between his fingers. "I wonder why she's so nervous."

"Brock, what's that by your feet?" Aiden squeaked suddenly, pointing down towards the floor. Brock looked at his feet and smirked, bending down to pick up the pink and white gift bag that he had put down when it was time to hold Elizabeth.

"This is the present I was going to give your Mommy yesterday at the baby shower," Brock chuckled. "I figured I would just give it to her now."

"How come the baby keeps getting' presents?" Aiden folded his arms and furrowed his young brow.

"Because it's her birthday," Ash chuckled as he ruffled his only son's hair. "You get presents on _your_ birthday, don't ya buddy?"

"I guess," Aiden grumbled.

"Do you want to open it, Misty?" Brock held the gift out towards the tired gym leader.

"Sure," Misty smiled and took the present. Opening it up, she pulled out a colorful box, with a picture of what appeared to be some kind of toy on the front. Misty raised an eyebrow and flipped the box around in her hands, not quite sure as to what it was.

"I wanted to get that for Elizabeth's room when we were first decorating it, but I couldn't find that thing anywhere," Brock explained. "I finally ordered it a couple of days ago, and it just came yesterday a few hours before the party. You put it on the end of her crib-it clips on-and when you press the big button in the right corner, it plays ocean sounds and projects lights on the ceiling in different shapes and colors. It even puts on a little show on the inside."

Misty studied the image on the box once again. In the little decoration, she realized that behind a plastic screen, were little figures of the water type starters: Squirtle, Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup, and Oshawott. They were surrounded by colorful little bubbles and sea plants, that would light up according to the sounds being played by the decoration.

"Oh Brock, it's so cute!" Misty squealed, putting the box down next to her. "This will go perfectly in Elizabeth's room! Thank you so much."

"No problem," Brock grinned at his best female friend. Misty giggled and held her arms out, causing Brock to let out a sound of bewilderment. "What's wrong, Misty? Do you need something?"

"No, I want a hug, you idiot," Misty scoffed playfully.

"Oh, I got it," Brock laughed at his density. "Sorry, that was an Ash moment."

"Hey!" Ash cried defensively as his two older children laughed at him. Sighing, Ash smiled gently down at Elizabeth and cooed, "You won't laugh at me, will you pumpkin? No, you're my good baby!"

"She's just not laughin' at you cause she's too little, Daddy," Michelle deadpanned.

"We're gonna' teach her to laugh at you," Aiden added, a mischievous glint shining in his chocolate brown eyes.

"Gee, thanks guys," Ash frowned as the twins continued to giggle at his misfortune.

Brock, meanwhile, was busy giving Misty a hug, making sure to be wary of her tender midsection where the incision was healing.

"I forgot to ask how you're feeling!" Brock blushed slightly when they pulled away, embarrassed by this slip of thought. "I'm sorry, Misty…"

"You don't have to be sorry," Misty shook her head as she smiled angelically. "Everyone is just excited about the baby; I understand. I care much more about her than I do about myself!"

"But still, are you doing okay?" Brock smirked. Misty was an entertaining girl, she always had been.

"I'm doing as well as someone who was cut into to take a human being out of them can do," Misty shrugged, the cheeky smile remaining on her face. She had lowered her voice slightly so the twins wouldn't hear what exactly her procedure had been about; they still had no idea what a c-section was. Fortunately, they were too busy talking to Ash and examining the baby, so Misty's snide remark went unnoticed. "I'm sore, and there's some pain. But the doctor said that's normal. I have medicine for the pain, so it's okay. Eating is a problem; I don't have much of an appetite. The doctor said that's normal, though. He's going to make me get up and go for a walk later, since I need to start moving around."

"And how's the incision?" Brock flicked his eyes down towards Misty's stomach.

"It kind of hurts. I have to press against it every time I sneeze or laugh."

"How long are you going to be down for?" Brock inquired.

"Anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks," Misty put her head back. "It depends on how long it takes for me to heal. I definitely can't be battling anytime before then, though."

"Well, that's more time you can spend with your baby girl," Brock smiled at Misty, although she wasn't overly quick to return the action. He furrowed his brow, but didn't question the gym leader any further. Brock knew better; right after giving birth, women were prone to crazy mood swings. Knowing Misty, hers would be 10 times worse.

"Should your sisters come see Elizabeth now?" Ash asked, his voice breaking through to Brock and Misty.

Before Misty could answer, Elizabeth began to fuss. She wasn't screaming or crying, in fact, she wasn't even whimpering. What she _was_ doing was clenching her little fingers and wiggling around, looking towards her mother in an almost desperate state.

"After I feed her," a delicate smile finally appeared on Misty's face. "Baby Elizabeth is hungry."

"Is that it?" Ash cooed to the child as he tickled her cheek. "You're hungry, little pumpkin?"

Elizabeth squeaked again but kept her eyes locked on Misty.

"Give me my baby," Misty held her arms out. "I'll feed her, and then you can get my sisters."

"Sounds good," Ash smiled as he walked over to Misty, bending over and handing her the baby so Misty didn't have to move around too much and bother her incision.

"I'll go back into the waiting room," Brock stroked Misty's hair a few times before moving towards the door. "Give you guys some time alone before your sisters come in."

"Thanks Brock!" Ash smiled at his best friend over his shoulder. Brock returned the action and nodded before stepping out of the room and into the hallway.

**XXX**

"Come on Daisy, aren't you gonna tell me who that phone call was to?"

"No, Tracey."

"But why not?"

"Because it's none of your business, that's why!"

When Brock returned to the waiting room, he was surprised to find Daisy and Tracey in an argument. At least, he thought it was an argument. Daisy looked pretty annoyed, but Tracey wasn't yelling or anything. He didn't even look upset. Then again, Tracey rarely ever did, even when he was upset or disappointed. It took a lot to bring out some real emotion from the former Pokémon watcher.

"Daisy, I'm your husband, so isn't it _kind of_ my business?" Tracey raised an eyebrow.

"No, because this has nothing to do with our marriage, or Dakota, or your job."

Tracey folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, an unreadable expression still plastered on his face. He couldn't understand why his wife was being so secretive. He couldn't help but to feel that she was up to no good. That was almost the only time Daisy would never blab about what she was doing.

"Dais…"

"Tracey, would you drop it?" Daisy finally snapped, lowering her formerly crossed arms to her sides.

Everyone else in the room was bracing themselves for another Daisy blow up like the one they'd all witnessed before, but fortunately, Tracey wasn't about to let his wife do that again. He was used to being walked all over by her, but this time, he wanted an answer from her.

"Come here," Tracey sighed, taking Daisy by the hand and pulling her out of the room, down the hallway where all of the phones were located.

"Why did you drag me out here?" Daisy demanded, her sea green eyes clouding over with anger.

"Because I want to know what you did," Tracey lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Even if this has nothing to do with me, something tells me it has to do with Misty."

"So what if it does?" Daisy retorted.

"I love Misty just as much as you do," Tracey reasoned as he shook his head. "Sometimes, I think you forget that I traveled around with her and Ash when they were much younger. I took care of her, Daisy. She means a lot to me."

Daisy sighed, the breath pushing her side bangs out of her face. Lowering her eyes back to Tracey, she begrudgingly admitted, "fine. It was about Misty."

"I thought so," Tracey nodded just once. "Who did you call, Daisy?"

Daisy turned her eyes away again.

"Daisy…"

"Stop trying to guilt me into telling you!" Daisy whined, suddenly sounding much like her and Tracey's 10 year old daughter.

"I won't try to guilt you if you'll just tell me who you called," Tracey placed his hands on his hips.

"You have to promise me you won't get mad," Daisy pointed a finger at her husband. "Or judge me, or jump to conclusions, or tell _anyone _what I did."

Tracey twisted his mouth in deep thought.

"_Tracey!"_ Daisy hissed.

"Alright, alright, I swear," Tracey waved his hands in front of him.

"Fine," Daisy slightly narrowed her eyes and nervously moved her fingers around. Looking down at the floor, Daisy murmured, "I called my parents."

"You did _what?_" Tracey gasped, his voice causing Daisy to jump. His black eyes were wide in what Daisy could only assume to be horror. He liked her parents, but knew that Misty was less than thrilled with them.

"I called my parents," Daisy repeated, her voice a little more strong than before.

"What did you say to them?" Tracey asked blankly.

"I told them that Misty was in labor, and that the baby was in trouble and had to be delivered by an emergency c-section," Daisy replied.

"Daisy…" Tracey sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"I told them off, too, if that helps," a worried look was crossing Daisy's face.

"That's not…that's not the point, Dais," Tracey sighed as he uncovered his face. "Misty didn't want them _involved. _She's so mad at them, and it's understandable as to why. Did they show any remorse?"

"Yes, a lot," Daisy nodded vigorously. "They felt _so_ bad! They were beating themselves up over it. It sounds wrong, but that almost made me happy. I wanted them to know what they did wasn't right."

"What else did they say?" Tracey lowered his shoulders.

"Well…that's the thing…" Daisy nervously wringed her hands together.

"Daisy, what did you do?" Tracey's face began to grow pale.

"I didn't do anything!" Daisy wailed. "But, see, my parents felt _so_ awful about the whole thing, and so full of guilt…"

"Daisy…"

"Right before hanging up on me, they told me they were coming here right away," Daisy winced. "Which means they should be here by tonight."

Tracey looked like a ghost at this point. Daisy drew her shoulders back and whimpered quietly. She had a feeling she knew what Tracey was going to say next…and that it would be as accurate a statement as she'd ever heard.

"Misty is going to _kill_ you."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so...I lied. Only Delia and Brock got to meet Elizabeth in this chapter. Everyone else will get their turn next chapter. I just couldn't fit all of the meetings into this one chapter without leaving out the Daisy stuff. Maybe Ash and Misty shouldn't have so many friends :P<strong>

**Yes, I threw in some Daisy/Tracey interaction. I love them together! And, as many of you guessed, Daisy did in fact call her parents. And now they're gonna make an appearance! Misty might break some heads, idk :P**

**So, even though I was a bad author and didn't update for quite awhile (bad me, bad school...) you guys were still awesome readers and reviewers! So at least only one of us is sucking at our job. I appreciate all of the reviews I got for the last chapter! You guys are the best :) I'll try not to take too long with the next one, promise!**


	31. Family Dysfunction

**Guys, look how QUICK I finished this chapter! Do you love me yet? :P I have severe senioritis, so at this point, I'm just writing and doing whatever I want. Yay! Also, this chapter was a little easier to write cause of the DRAMA. Hehe, I love me some drama :P**

**Last chapter, Delia and Brock met the baby! But poor baby Elizabeth seems to cry whenever she's being held by anyone who isn't her parents or siblings. We also learned that Daisy called up her parents, both of whom Misty is FURIOUS at. But now they're on their way to visit their daughter and newborn grandchild! How will Misty react? Let's see.**

* * *

><p>"Oooh, what an absolute <em>sweetheart!<em>"

"She's such a beautiful baby!"

"Just look at those big, green eyes! How gorgeous!"

Elizabeth was still settled in her mother's arms, staring up curiously at the three unfamiliar ladies cooing and fawning over her. They seemed interesting, although Elizabeth had no idea who they were. She pursed her lips and looked back at her mother, who was smiling at the strange, pretty ladies. They didn't seem to be bothering her Mommy. So were they good? They must have been.

Misty's sisters were still looking at the baby, although their husbands had already come and gone, deciding they needed to go home and tend to their daughters.

"Oh Misty, I just knew this little girl would be the most beautiful thing," Daisy smiled. She reached out and gently stroked Elizabeth's hair. The baby mewled softly, appreciating the blonde woman's tenderness.

"Look at those chubby little cheeks!" Violet squealed from behind her older sister.

"And she's just _so _tiny!" Lily clasped her hands together.

Aiden and Michelle watched the scene from their spot on Misty's bed, their eyes a little wide as they observed their aunts' actions.

"Daddy, did this happen when Michelle and I were babies?" Aiden asked.

"Yes son, it did," Ash chuckled. "All of the time, in fact. _Especially_ with your aunts."

"Misty, do you mind if I hold her?" Daisy asked with twinkling eyes.

Part of Misty wanted to say no, for fear of Elizabeth crying again. But she also didn't want to keep the rest of her friends and family away from holding the little baby. None of them had done anything to upset Elizabeth, so Misty couldn't pinpoint just why the baby had cried the last two times she was held. Besides, Misty could trust Daisy with almost anything.

"I don't mind at all," Misty smiled at her oldest sister. "Just lean down and take her. I can't move too much."

Nodding, Daisy lifted the baby out of Misty's arms and held her close to her chest. Elizabeth began to whimper, and right away, Misty felt her heart lurch. Why in the world did the poor thing get so upset when other people held her?

Daisy didn't seem to notice the girl getting antsy. Whining, Elizabeth tilted her head back and stared at Misty. She looked _so _sad, and at this point, Misty just wanted to ask Daisy for her little girl back.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, couldn't understand why her Mommy was just looking her, and not doing anything to help her. Elizabeth didn't want to be held by this lady, she wanted to be held by her _Mommy_.

"Hey there, beautiful girl," Daisy cooed to the infant, trying to turn the little thing into her body so she could see the baby's face. "Come on; show me your pretty face!"

Elizabeth shrieked in an unhappy fashion, not liking the way Daisy was trying to move her. The blonde gasped and gently bounced the baby up and down, hoping to calm down her little niece. None of that seemed to be doing the trick, however, as Elizabeth was soon screaming and crying, still looking at Misty as she did so.

"My little girl," Misty whimpered, her own eyes filling up with tears.

"Uh oh, the hormones are back," Ash muttered to himself.

"Ah…here, you want to go back to Mommy?" Daisy asked the baby. Elizabeth's wails increased in pitch, causing Daisy to get nervous. Walking back over to Misty, she leaned down and put the baby back in the red head's arms.

"There there sweetheart," Misty nuzzled Elizabeth's face, "no more crying. It's okay, baby." Elizabeth hiccupped and stopped sobbing, keeping her eyes glued on her mother's face. Misty giggled gently and tickled the infant's nose, earning a tiny coo and half smile from the little thing.

"I didn't do anything to her," Daisy frowned at Misty.

"It's alright, I know you didn't," Misty shook her head. "Elizabeth seems to have a problem with people holding her. I wish I knew why, but I don't."

"Did she cry like that when Delia and Brock held her?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Misty nodded sadly.

"Maybe she's just shy," Violet suggested.

"I guess that could be why, but I never thought she'd be a shy little girl," Misty shrugged. "She was always happy in my stomach when people talked around her or touched my belly. All of a sudden, though, she seems to be afraid of almost everyone."

Elizabeth gurgled and pulled one of her hands out of the pink blanket she was wrapped in, holding it up by her face and turning her eyes onto it. Squeaking, she stuck one of her fingers in her mouth and then turned her attention back to Misty. The gym leader heard her daughter making little noises, and peered down at the child. Seeing the girl with part of her hand in her mouth, Misty giggled and smiled lovingly at the tiny baby.

"So I guess Vi and I shouldn't hold the baby right now," Lily sighed.

"I wish you guys could," Misty looked truly conflicted. "But I think I've got to figure out why she's getting so upset first. I don't want to keep working Lizzie up."

"Can I hold her, Mommy?" Michelle tilted her head.

"I don't know Shelly," Misty twisted her mouth. Michelle had already held Elizabeth once before, and the baby hadn't cried. But that was before everyone else began holding her and she started to cry as though she was being tortured.

"Actually, Misty, that might be interesting," Ash scratched his head.

"What do you mean?" Misty straightened out her shoulders.

"Well, Elizabeth didn't mind being held by Aiden or Michelle before," Ash shrugged. "Maybe she's still okay with it. Wanna try?"

"I guess so…" Misty bit her lip. Michelle crawled closer to her mother and sat by her side, beaming up at the older red head. Grinning, Misty asked her young daughter, "Remember how I told you to hold the baby?"

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded, folding her arms in the way Misty had instructed her to do earlier. Very gently, Misty managed to get Elizabeth into Michelle's arms without having to move around too much. She did feel a small twinge of pain when she leaned over, and it must have been evident on her face because Ash had hurried forward and knelt down by her side.

"You okay?" Ash looked up at Misty.

"Yes," Misty straightened her body out and released a long breath. "Just fine."

With that established, the couple looked over at their older daughter, observing her interaction with the tiny baby. Elizabeth certainly seemed content in her big sister's arms, blinking her big eyes and making quiet little baby noises as Michelle smiled at her.

"She looks really happy with Michelle," Violet giggled. "How cute!"

"Yeah, it reminds me of the first time I held little Misty!" Daisy grinned.

"How do you even remember that?" Misty smirked. "It was 27 years ago!"

"Because that's not something you forget very easily," Daisy winked. "Especially since I didn't really get to hold Violet or Lily when they were born. I was too little."

"Mommy was a baby once," Michelle informed Elizabeth. The newborn infant gurgled and closed her eyes, deciding it was time for another nap.

"Why does she sleep so much?" Aiden looked at his mother.

"Babies need lots of sleep, sweetheart," Misty explained. "That's why she just falls asleep whenever she pleases. Little babies don't know time; they just go to sleep whenever they're tired."

"Oh, I get it," Aiden smiled.

"I think we should leave the little girl to sleep now," Daisy smiled at her two younger sisters.

"That sounds like a good idea," Violet agreed.

"You'll be alright here, Misty?" Daisy asked.

"Of course, I have Ash and my three babies," Misty smiled peacefully. "Besides, all of our friends have yet to see little Elizabeth. I'm never lonely here, don't worry."

"Do you want me to tell someone else to come in?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure May, Dawn, and Iris are all getting impatient to see her," Misty giggled. "Why don't you tell them to bring Drew, Kenny, and Cilan and come in?"

"No problem," Lily smiled before leading her two older sisters out of the room.

Misty kept admiring the sight of Michelle holding Elizabeth in her arms, while Aiden looked on and gently stroked the sleeping baby's hair. Ash did the same thing, mindlessly toying with Misty's delicate fingers as his eyes slowly trailed over to the sea of presents in the corner that grew steadily with each visit. He still needed to get Elizabeth something; his first present to her. He'd done it for Aiden and Michelle, so it was only fair that Elizabeth get something as well.

"Mist, do you mind if I go downstairs for a little bit?" Ash addressed his wife.

"Hmm?" Misty turned her attention onto Ash. "Why do you need to go downstairs?"

"I just want to look at something," Ash shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Misty asked. "You haven't eaten since yesterday at the party."

Ash's eyes widened. He hadn't even realized that. All of a sudden, it hit him just how _hungry_ he was.

"Oh man," Ash muttered.

"You forgot?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah, I did," Ash rubbed the back of his neck.

"See, that just shows how much you love me and your children," Misty's eyes began to sparkle. "You love us enough to forget about _food!_ I never thought I'd see the day, Ash Ketchum."

"Well, that's because when we were 10 years old, you never thought you'd see the day where we were married and making babies together," Ash smirked.

"Haha, very funny," Misty deadpanned in a teasing fashion.

"You know I love you," Ash pouted playfully as he reached up to stroke Misty's cheek.

"Yeah, I do," Misty smiled.

"So, do you mind if I go downstairs?" Ash tilted his head.

"No, I suppose not," Misty ruffled Ash's already messy dark locks. "Just don't take _too _long, okay?"

"No problem," Ash grinned, giving Misty a sweet kiss on the lips as he stood up. Her lips curved upwards during the smooch, and she continued to smile at her husband as he walked out of the room.

On the way out, Ash walked past the group of friends that was going to visit Elizabeth, and they all looked rather perplexed by his leaving.

"Ash, where are you going?" Iris blinked.

"Downstairs," Ash replied.

"What are you going down there for?" Dawn squeaked.

"Umm…food," Ash lied. Well, it was only half of a lie. The _real _reason he was going downstairs was to find a present for Elizabeth, but he was afraid that everyone would judge him for not already having one. Of course, he hadn't realized how hungry he was until Misty brought it up, so he was going to get something to eat afterwards.

"Well, that would make sense," Cilan chuckled. "It's been a while since you've eaten!"

"Yeah, I'm starved," Ash blushed slightly. "I have to go quickly, though. I don't want to leave Misty alone too long."

"She won't be alone, she'll have us!" May giggled.

"I know, but I don't want to be too far away from her either," Ash's blush increased. Trying to shake it off, he continued, "Have fun with Elizabeth. She's a really beautiful little girl; I think you're all going to love her!"

"You know we will, stupid," Drew teased as he flicked a strand of green hair.

Scoffing playfully, Ash waved to his friends as he continued his trek down the hallway, silently hoping that none of his other friends would wander downstairs and find him attempting to buy a last minute gift for his newborn daughter.

**XXX**

"Come on…I just need _something!_"

Ash was repeatedly moaning and groaning to himself in frustration as he looked over the shelves full of baby gifts. There was lots of cute stuff, but he just couldn't figure out which one was absolutely _perfect _for his little girl. Much of it was pink, and to be honest, Ash didn't want to get Elizabeth anything that was pink. She had so much pink stuff already, and Ash was actually kind of afraid of it. All of the frills and ribbons…he wondered why everyone seemed to think Elizabeth was going to be so much more girly than Michelle ever was.

The Pokémon master's attention kept being drawn to the impressive collection of poke dolls. There were already a bunch in Elizabeth's nursery back home, in addition to a few more cute water type ones that Misty's sisters had brought for the little girl during their visit. He always felt that there was no better present for such a little thing than a cute, cuddly stuffed Pokémon. Michelle and Aiden both had lots of them in their own rooms, and seemed to love and play with each one almost equally. It also encouraged them to become interested in Pokémon, which Ash of course wanted to instill in his children.

As he browsed through the different stuffed toys, Ash caught sight of something peculiar from the corner of his eye. It sent a small shock through his system, although Ash couldn't be certain it was who he thought it was.

Breathing out softly, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder, staring out into the main lobby and receptionist area of the hospital. His eyes locked on a somewhat older couple; the man and woman talking to each other in what seemed to be quiet, contemplative voices to the woman at the reception desk. The man was about Ash's height, with dark blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. The woman, who was smaller than her husband, had very dark red hair, not quite auburn but not a bright red either. In a way, it reminded Ash of Elizabeth's hair color, although the woman's was clearly a different shade. Her eyes, a bright sea green that seemed to have flecks of emerald in them, were sparkling in the late morning sunlight, although they also held a sense of sorrow.

Quickly turning his head back towards the stuffed Pokémon, Ash could feel his heart speed up almost instantly. So he _wasn't _crazy…he had seen _exactly_ who he thought he had seen.

Michael and Lynne Waterflower.

**XXX**

"Hi pretty! Hi there!"

Elizabeth watched Iris with distrusting eyes, her body lolling into Misty's as she released some quiet, throaty noises. The dragon master continued waving her fingers at the tiny baby, giggling as the little thing's eyes seem to grow wider with each wiggle of the older woman's fingers.

"She looks so confused," Iris giggled behind her hand. "Such a cutie!"

"Yeah, she's so beautiful!" May squealed as she clasped her hands together.

"Like a little princess," Dawn sighed dreamily. Michelle glared up at the bluenette, not happy that her nickname as being used for someone else. Noticing the young girl's displeasure, Dawn smiled sympathetically and apologized, "sorry Michelle. I didn't mean to use Daddy's special nickname for you."

"It's okay," Michelle nodded slowly. She was an easily forgiving girl.

"She _is _pretty cute," Drew nodded, kneeling down next to Misty's bed in the spot that Ash had previously occupied. He tilted his head, observing the baby in Misty's arms. Smiling gently, Misty moved the baby over towards Drew, allowing the green haired coordinator to get a better look at the infant.

"Aw, Drew, why don't you be all sweet with her, like you were with Rosie?" May grinned.

Drew looked up at his wife, blushing as his emerald eyes narrowed slightly. May smiled and nodded her head, encouraging Drew to do his little act. Sighing, Drew looked back at Elizabeth, who had averted her gaze from Iris to Drew. Chuckling quietly, Drew leaned in towards the baby and began to murmur in a baby talk voice, "hi there little girl. It's nice to meet you. How are you today?"

Elizabeth cooed softly, staring at Drew's face the entire time. She was intrigued by this man…he was pretty. Elizabeth liked the voice he was talking to her in; it kind of reminded her of her Daddy. So she just kept watching him quietly, waiting to see what his next move would be.

"Does she like to be held?" Drew looked up at Misty.

"Not really," the gym leader sighed.

"Maybe I could change that," Drew smirked down at the baby, who was still staring at him.

"Drew, don't aggravate Misty," May rolled her eyes. "She just said the baby doesn't like to be held!"

"But I think I could make her feel comfortable," Drew tried to reason with his wife.

"So stupid," May muttered under her breath as she shook her head.

"Could I try?" Drew asked Misty.

"Uh…I guess…" Misty bit her lip. She was still nervous that Elizabeth would burst out into tears from being held by another person she was unfamiliar with, and afraid that she would continue to feel like a lousy mother for putting her daughter in that situation. But she wasn't being a bad mother…Elizabeth was just being difficult! Right? "Here, take her," Misty placed the baby in Drew's arms, since he had them sitting on the side of the bed.

Smiling down at the newborn, Drew pulled her into his chest, not bothering to stand up. He wanted to stay close to Misty, so Elizabeth didn't feel separated or threatened. She whined a little at first, but soon calmed down, and kept her eyes on Drew's face.

"Well well, it appears that little Elizabeth has quite the affinity for Drew!" Cilan noted.

"Gee, why in the world would she like _him?_" Kenny snickered. Dawn smacked him on the shoulder, earning a quiet whine from the brown haired coordinator.

"That's weird…" Misty murmured, "She really does seem to like you, Drew."

"I don't understand why I'm such a baby magnet," Drew raised an eyebrow. "I've never met a kid who doesn't like me."

"It's true," May nodded. "Weird, and somewhat unbelievable, but true."

"It's funny, isn't it little girl?" Drew asked Elizabeth, once again putting his voice in a higher pitch. Sure, it was embarrassing to do this in front of people. Drew hardly even did it with his own children when other people were around. But since he knew Elizabeth had the habit of getting antsy with other people, watching her content in his arms was amusing for the coordinator.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, pursed her lips and continued to gawk at Drew. She was curious about this man, and decided she wanted to look at him some more.

**XXX**

_What the hell are Misty's parents doing here? _Ash silently panicked. _How do they even know she was here?_

His eyes once again slipped from the shelves full of poke dolls to his in laws in the lobby. Ash could feel his heart pounding in his throat. He felt almost lost; he had no idea what to do. Should he tell Misty? He knew she would be _beyond _upset if she saw them, and that was the last thing Ash needed at the moment.

Still glancing casually and secretively at them, Ash soon realized that they were heading into the store!

_Damnit, damnit, damnit! _Ash swore over and over again in his head. He couldn't be seen by them, because then they would trap him into a corner and begin questioning him. For all Ash knew, Misty's father could even beat him up. The man was quite protective of his daughters, although Ash knew for a fact that Misty didn't consider her father to be the most important man in her life. That, instead, was him.

They were moving closer and closer. Ash knew he had to come up with an idea, and fast. Looking down at the floor, he smiled and got a crazy, but effective, idea. Making sure no one was paying attention to him, Ash threw himself down on the floor and rolled underneath the lowest shelf, squeezing himself into the small space and watching his in-laws' feet as he hid.

He could hear their voices now, becoming more and more clear as the couple approached Ash's hiding spot.

"Michael, we have to bring the little baby _something,_" Ash could hear Lynne prodding. "We left all that cute stuff for her at home and didn't have any time to get it!"

"Won't Misty understand?" Michael replied.

At this, Ash narrowed his eyes and tried to resist the sudden strong urge to trip the older man. To be honest, Ash had never really liked Michael. He was a Pokémon researcher, and seemed to only care about his work and nothing else.

"No, Michael!" Lynne growled. "We missed the birth of our _granddaughter_! She's _not_ going to understand, and rightfully so!"

"Alright," Michael sighed, moving closer to the shelves that held all of the poke dolls. Inadvertently, he stepped on Ash's hand, causing Ash to nearly howl and blow his cover. Not wanting to do that, the Pokémon master instead drew his hand in closer to himself and silently whimpered, clutching the injured hand in an attempt to soothe the throbbing pain.

"Those little stuffed Pokémon are so cute," Lynne commented.

"Yes, but what's a little baby going to do with one?" Michael looked his wife dead in the eyes.

"Play with it," Lynne answered simply.

"A baby that young isn't going to play with anything," Michael refuted. "You're better off buying her clothes or something."

Ash watched as Michael and Lynne's feet moved away, his heart still hammering in his chest and the anger rising in his body. As Lynne passed by the shelves, one of the stuffed poke dolls came tumbling down, frightening Ash to some extent.

Picking up the stuffed Pokémon, Ash studied the cuddly thing carefully. It was a Teddiursa, very cute and innocent looking. It sounded stupid, but in a way, Ash felt bad for the little toy. It had been knocked to floor, unwanted. He felt that the adorable little bear should have a home…and he was going to give it to the stuffed Teddiursa.

Squeezing the stuffed Pokémon, Ash smirked as he thought to himself_, Feeling bad for a poke doll…this is probably why Misty makes fun of me so much._

**XXX**

By the time Ash returned upstairs, the stuffed Teddiursa stored in a little gift bag and his stomach finally full, Misty was alone in the room. No Aiden, Michelle, _or _Elizabeth.

"Where'd the kids go?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"Aiden and Michelle were getting restless, so Brock took them outside for a little walk," Misty answered. "And that nurse, I think she said her name is Claire?"

"Uh huh," Ash nodded.

"Well, Claire came by and took Elizabeth back to the nursery. The poor little baby was tired from all the attention she's gotten and all the crying she's been doing," Misty smirked.

"That's good," Ash left the gift bag on a chair in the corner and walked over to Misty's bed. "More time to ourselves!"

"Kind of," Misty sighed.

"What do you mean kind of?" Ash blinked.

"Dr. Aaron wants me to go for a little walk today," Misty frowned. "I've been laying down for more than 24 hours now, and stuffed with all kinds of pain medication and cuts. He thinks it'd be a good idea for me to start getting up again."

"Can you handle that?" Ash sounded concerned. "I don't want you to push yourself."

"Sweetheart, I'll be fine," Misty assured her worried husband with a delicate smile. "But…" She trailed off, uncertain of herself.

"But what, angel?" Ash knelt down and stroked Misty's cheek. "You can tell me anything, you know."

"I don't want to walk around with a nurse," Misty sagged her shoulders. "They won't let me go by myself, which I can understand, I guess. But still, I don't want a nurse to come with me. I'll just look like an idiot. I know walking is going to be a little difficult at first…and I don't want to embarrass myself."

"You won't embarrass yourself," Ash cooed as he kissed Misty's shoulder. "They're nurses, Mist. They deal with this kind of stuff every day. They won't judge you or anything like that."

"That doesn't make me any less self conscious," Misty squeezed her eyes shut tight.

Smiling gently, Ash took Misty's hands into his and gave them a squeeze. "It's okay, Mist. No need to get all worked up. I'll go for a walk with you."

"You will?" Misty opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Ash.

"Of course!" Ash grinned. "What kind of a husband would I be if I said no? Come on, beautiful, let's get up and go!"

"Okay…" Misty smiled, although her voice was still hesitant. "I'm going to need help getting up though. And walking, too."

"You know that I'll help you," Ash patted Misty's leg. Giggling, Misty took the covers off of herself, exposing her legs to the colder air. Very slowly, she attempted to move, but as she tried to turn her body, a twinge of pain hit in the area where her incision was, causing her to close her eyes and let out a whimper.

Gasping, Ash jumped up and grabbed onto Misty, afraid that she would fall over. "Are you okay?"

"Y…yeah…" Misty breathed. "It's just…hard to move."

Frowning, Ash pressed his hand against the small of Misty's back, helping her to sit up. Misty gingerly inched her legs towards the edge of the bed until they were dangling over the side. Already, the gym leader had decided that she didn't like all of this nonsense. It was too painful. Moaning, she looked up at Ash in misery. He looked sympathetic, and maybe even a little guilty, but he quickly tried to cover that up with a cute smile and a little nod.

He pulled her forward very gently, until her feet were touching the floor. Misty gasped, not liking the cold tile against her bare feet.

"C…cold…" Misty quivered.

"Oh, I'm sorry angel! I didn't realize you didn't have anything on your feet!" Ash fretted. "Here, I have some of those nice, fuzzy socks for you right here!" He jumped up and fetched the pair of blue and green socks for Misty. Knowing that she couldn't bend over, Ash put them on her himself, grinning proudly at the pretty red head once he was finished.

He became concerned once again, however, when he realized that Misty's whole body was now shaking, even though her feet were covered.

"What's wrong, Misty?" Ash frowned.

"I…I didn't realize how cold it was when I'm out from underneath the covers…" Misty blushed slightly. "I'm sorry…I'm complaining so much…"

"No, you're not! Really!" Ash raced forward and kissed Misty's forehead. "Besides, you just had a baby. You can complain _all _you want, and I won't mind at all! I'm going to take such good care of you, Misty. Honest."

"I believe you," Misty giggled sheepishly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Now, how can we keep you warm…?" Ash thought aloud as his eyes grazed the hospital room.

"There's a robe hanging up in the closet," Misty motioned her head towards the door several feet away from her bed. "I could wear that, I guess."

"Good idea!" Ash smiled. "See, even in pain and feeling all sluggish you're thinking better than I am!"

Misty laughed lightly as Ash made his way over the closet, retrieving the robe and hurriedly bringing it back over to Misty. He helped her put it on, which she thanked him for, and then to stand up, which wasn't as hard as Ash or even Misty thought it would be.

"You doing okay?" Ash looked Misty dead in the eye.

"Yeah, for now," Misty nodded.

"Okay, let's try and take a walk," Ash smiled at his wife, who wasn't looking too enthusiastic over it. "Misty, don't look so sad. It makes _me _sad! I want to see you happy, beautiful."

"I'm just nervous," Misty sighed, "I don't want to fall, Ash."

"I will _never _let you fall," Ash touched his nose to Misty's. "I promise you that, Mist. You just hold onto me, and I'll hold onto you. Can you do that?"

Misty slowly nodded her head, transfixed by Ash's soothing voice and twinkling eyes. Smiling, Ash separated from his wife and instead stood by her side, holding her by the waist.

"Walk," Misty nudged Ash's foot with her own.

Grinning like a little boy up to no good, Ash looked down at his wife and teased, "_You're_ the one who's supposed to be getting used to walking again, angel!"

"Yeah, but you said you wouldn't let me fall," Misty leaned her head against Ash's arm.

"And I won't," Ash stroked her side. "Come on, let's go!"

Nodding, Misty began to move forward, Ash keeping his grip on her the whole time. It felt like an eternity, but Misty finally made it out of the room, and began to move down the hallway. Ash made sure that she knew she was being held onto at all times, and so far everything seemed to be going perfectly.

By the time they had reached the end of the hall, however, Misty was panting and leaning over at the chest. Ash frowned and moved Misty's red strands away from her face, revealing to him just how red her cheeks were.

"You tired?" Ash asked as he rubbed Misty's back.

"Y…yeah…" Misty puffed. "I wanna…sit down now"

"Well, you _did _make it to the end of the hallway," Ash smiled at his wife. "So I'm very proud of you! Here, I see a nice little place right up there with a big window and some couches. That looks like the perfect place to rest!"

"Ash, you don't understand," Misty whined. "I _can't _walk anymore. I feel like my heart is going to burst."

"Really?" Ash murmured. Misty hummed discontentedly and nodded. Sighing, Ash reached down and lifted Misty into his arms, causing her to shriek at the unexpected action. "There. Now you don't have to walk _anywhere!_"

"Mmm…you're the best husband in the whole, wide world," Misty smiled into Ash's chest.

"I try," Ash chuckled, Misty feeling the strong vibrations in his chest. He carried her over to the alcove that had two, light blue cloth couches facing one another, and a big window against the wall. Gently, he placed Misty down on the couch, on the side that was closest to the window.

"How nice, a change of scenery," Misty giggled. "I was getting a little tired of looking around my room."

"Yeah, they really like keeping you stuck in there," Ash chuckled as he walked over to the window. "I bet you could really use some fresh air! What do you say, Mist?"

"That sounds wonderful," Misty beamed at her husband.

Ash undid the lock on window and pulled the glass panes back, instantly feeling a warm, August breeze hit against his face. Grinning, he went back to Misty, sitting next to her on the pale blue couch and resting his elbow on his knee, leaning his cheek against his closed fist.

"What are you looking at?" Misty giggled airily.

"You," Ash smiled. "You're so pretty."

"I am not," Misty gasped.

"Yes you are."

"No way."

"Mmmhm."

"My hair looks like a rattata's nest," Misty whined.

"I'll help you brush it later," Ash offered, not bothering to change his position.

"I haven't gotten any sleep in almost two days," Misty sighed.

"It doesn't show."

"I now have _another_ scar on my body…"

"It's beautiful. It's from having our daughter. I love your scar."

"Everyone is still going to think I'm fat," Misty furrowed her brow, looking down at her hands. "All of those magazines…you know I can't do any exercise for the next 2 months? They're going to want to know why I didn't lose all of my baby weight right away. I'm going to be ridiculed."

"Oh, who cares about them?" Ash finally took his arm off of his leg and rolled his eyes. Smiling, he once again took Misty's hands and continued, "You know all of those magazines are stupid. The only person you need to impress is me, and it's really not that hard. You impress me by being just the way you are. So what if you have a little bit of extra weight on you? You were _pregnant, _Misty. It's hardly your fault. You did all the right things, and because of it, we have a healthy, beautiful baby girl. For that, I love you more than anyone else could ever imagine. As long as you have me, you don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks."

"Oh, Ash," Misty smiled tearfully. They were happy tears, of course. Misty couldn't believe how sweet her husband was. She was absolutely the luckiest woman in the whole world.

Still grinning, Ash leaned forward to give Misty a kiss. She happily returned his action, the two kissing deeply and passionately on the couch. Both of them were sure they heard a nurse noisily clearing her throat in the background, but that wasn't about to deter either of them.

Misty inched closer to Ash, practically sitting on his lap. Ash, meanwhile, held his hands against Misty's hips, making sure to avoid the area where her stitches were.

The two were so busy making out, however, that they didn't hear the footsteps approaching the couch. Even if they had, they would've only assumed it was the same nurse who had expressed disapproval at their action. It was only until a voice broke through that they would realize it was anything but.

"…Misty?"

The red head tore away from Ash so quickly it shocked him back into reality. His eyes widened, not understanding why Misty had ended their kiss so abruptly. He looked at her face, which had suddenly drained of any color and left her a sick, ghostly shade of white. Her eyes were wide and panicked, with an unreadable expression bubbling under the surface. Ash wanted to say something to her, but he was too afraid.

Quickly, he looked behind the couch, to see who had caused Misty to react that way. At nearly the same time, Misty peered in the same direction, still looking absolutely sick to her stomach.

The couple found themselves staring at none other than Michael and Lynne.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I also love the husband and wife fluff. It was sooo easy for me to write the AshMisty scenes where he's helping her to walk. They're so cute, I can't :P **

**Right, so you see now that Misty's maiden name is, in fact, Waterflower. I'm going to explain all of this in the next story I plan on publishing once this one is finished ^^ And next chapter, you're going to see the...very interesting interaction between her and her parents. It's not really a normal parent/child relationship, I'll tell you that much.**

**Oh, so all of my readers/reviewers...you guys are seriously the best. I was gone for (what's in my world) FOREVER, but you still all came out and read and reviewed and gaaah you're all so awesome. Best readers ever! I can't wait to see what you guys thought of this chapter, so tell me!**


	32. Reunite and Fight

**Helloooo readers! So, guess what? This is the last chapter of the story! Well, kind of. There's an epilogue :P And it's coming after this! But first, we have to see what's going on between Misty and her parents!**

**Oh, so I have to throw out a special mention to KHLegacy, because a few chapters back, they COMPLETELY called where I was going with the "Ash denies Elizabeth looking like him" thing. You'll find out later in the chapter ;)**

**And, I also have to mention that I am now an EDITOR! My friend Yondaimeslegacy is writing a FABULOUS Pokemon story called "Pokemon Master Chronicles" for which I am now his trusty editor :3 It's a really good story, and he's got alot of great stuff planned for it, so I would really reccomend checking it out! If you liked my story, you'll definitely like his, because it's another future fic! So, go ahead and be awesome and check that out ^^**

* * *

><p>Ash flicked his eyes between his wife and his in laws. He wasn't sure who was going to act first, but all he knew was that Misty's reaction was not going to be a pleasant one.<p>

"Misty," Lynne repeated her voice nearly breathless.

"What are you doing here?" Misty answered in a low, furious tone.

Lynne and Michael looked at one another before turning their attention back onto Misty, who, if at all possible, looked even more aggravated than she had ten seconds ago.

"We heard about your emergency, dear…" Lynne started to explain.

"How the hell did you find out about that?" Misty huffed.

"Misty…" Michael warned quietly.

The red head glared harshly at her father, looking about ready to bite him in the neck. Almost instantly, Michael silenced himself completely and lost some color in his face.

"It doesn't matter how we found out," Lynne continued softly, not wanting to give her oldest daughter away. "The important thing is we rushed over here as soon as we found out."

"Not like you did anything," Misty rolled her eyes. "I had that baby without you guys even being in the waiting room!"

"Darling, we would have been here if we could," Lynne held a hand over her heart.

"_No_," Misty narrowed her eyes. "You shouldn't have gone on some stupid trip with Dad so close to my due date! You _know _that she could've been born at any minute!"

"But that wasn't certain," Lynne tried to reason with her daughter.

"I don't care if it wasn't _certain!_" Misty shot back. "It was a _big_ possibility, and I'm your daughter. You shouldn't have done _anything_ until _after_ she was born!"

Clearing his throat, Michael raised his head and asked, "Misty, may your mother and I speak to you?" He frowned and turned his gaze onto Ash. "In private?"

Ash gasped before growling lowly and almost inaudibly. He couldn't understand why his father-in-law was so hell bent on tearing him down. Ash had never done anything to the man, and he loved the researcher's daughter more than anything in the world. So why was he treated so badly? Having had enough of being picked on, Ash opened his mouth to reply, but was quickly cut off by Misty.

"No," the red head seethed. Glancing at Ash, she grabbed hold of his hand and glared up at her father. "If you want to say something to me, you can say it in front of my husband."

"Misty, this is…not acceptable," Michael replied slowly.

"_You're_ not acceptable," Misty narrowed her eyes. "I have nothing to be ashamed about, unlike you. If you really want to speak to me, you shouldn't be afraid to do it around Ash."

"Misty, I don't think it's a good idea for me to stick around for this," Ash whispered to Misty.

She turned her head and her eyes grew wide, suddenly looking panicked and even a little angry. "What the hell do you mean?"

"This is a matter between you and your parents," Ash explained. "I think maybe you three should work this out on your own."

"You're not mad at them for what they did to me?" Misty asked incredulously.

"I'm not happy about it," Ash sighed. "You know that. I would do anything to protect you, Misty. But…these are your parents. I really don't think they would go out of their way to hurt you on purpose. What they did was wrong, but it wasn't intentional. Tell them that; work it out with them."

"Ash, I don't want to!" Misty growled through clenched teeth.

"Misty, do it for Elizabeth," Ash lowered his voice so it was barely audible, but Misty still heard what he'd said. Her face softened slightly as she pulled back, her eyes shining in consideration. All of a sudden, the only thing she could think about was the dream she'd had about her grandmother. The people she loved, all telling her to do this for her little baby girl. That was the right thing to do, wasn't it? Even if Misty didn't want to…did it matter? Elizabeth's priorities were more important than her own. The same with the twins. Misty was a good mother; she knew her children came before her in every aspect. And that included having a relationship with their grandparents; her parents.

"I'll try," was Misty's simple, nearly static reaction.

"Thank you," Ash sighed, leaning forward to kiss Misty on the forehead. He stood up and gave a little nod to his in laws before walking down the hallway far enough where the three couldn't see him. Once he was sure he was safe, Ash settled himself against the wall and waited. He knew eavesdropping was wrong, but really he was doing this as a safety precaution. He couldn't risk Misty attempting to tear her parents' faces off.

"Misty, darling…" Michael began as he moved over to the front of the couch.

"Don't call me that," Misty narrowed her eyes.

"Misty, please," Lynne implored as she followed her husband's actions. "We are so, _so _sorry! You have no idea how much we regret going away. It was something we shouldn't have done, truly."

"You realized that a little too late," Misty bit. "The damage is already done."

"Yes, I know, love," Lynne sat down next to Misty. "But that doesn't mean we can't try and fix it."

"It does if I have no desire to fix it," Misty shook her head.

"Don't say that, Misty!" Lynne frowned. "Please, let's just be positive-"

"Hard to do around you two," Misty growled.

"Misty, we want to be here for you," Michael explained. "But we can't do that if you keep pushing us away."

Misty didn't say anything in response, simply looking away to display her annoyance.

"You're going to need help," Lynne agreed softly. "I was just like you, dear; having 3 children by the time I was 27 years old. I don't know if I'd have been able to handle it without my mother there to help."

"Your situation and mine are not the same," Misty's eyebrow twitched. "When _you _were 27, you had a 2 year old, a 1 year old, and a newborn. I have two 5, almost 6, year olds, and a newborn. I don't need help the way you did. I didn't have all of my babies at once."

"It still isn't easy, love," Lynne shook her head. "The baby needs lots of love and attention, but so do the twins. They'll all be fighting for your attention."

"Why are you making this sound so horrible?" Misty smacked her hands against the couch. "This is supposed to be a happy day, and you're ruining it in more way than one!"

"Misty, stop talking to your mother like that," Michael warned his youngest daughter in a stern tone.

"I'm not your little girl anymore," Misty retorted. "Stop it with the warnings and empty threats. I'm a grown woman, and I don't have to listen to anything you say."

Michael's face began to turn a bright shade of red, but he kept his mouth shut while Misty continued to glare at him.

"Misty, we want to be close with your daughter," Lynne tried. "You know how much we love Aiden and Michelle, and we'll love the new little girl just the same." Stopping to think for a moment, Lynne inquired, "Does she have a name?"

"Yes, she does," Misty answered simply.

"Will you…tell us what it is?" Lynne's voice displayed the uncertainty she was feeling.

"I don't see why I should," Misty shrugged. "I haven't decided yet if you should know her or not. I don't want my baby to have to suffer from the same kind of pain you've given me throughout my entire life."

"Misty, please, you know how sorry we are," Lynne frowned.

"I don't know if I do!" Misty threw her hands down. "You keep on doing it, time after time, and you never seem to realize what it does to me! I'm your youngest daughter, and I know I was the mistake, but this just makes me feel like you guys truly resent ever having me!"

"We would never resent that, not ever!" Lynne held onto Misty's cheeks, and the gym leader didn't bother to tear herself away. "Misty, just because someone isn't planned doesn't mean that they're unwanted."

"But that's always how you make me feel," Misty whispered, her eyes inadvertently filling up with tears.

"Oh, baby," Lynne cooed as she wiped the fallen tears away. "I am so, so sorry. But why did you never tell us this? You always acted like everything was okay up until now."

"Because…you know that I'm so guarded with my emotions," Misty sighed as she slumped her shoulders forward. "It's always been that way. I've never liked people to know how I'm feeling, because I always thought it made me seem weak. And being strong and brave was something that I really prided myself on. But…then I had Aiden and Michelle, and now…" she trailed off, and looked back up at her mother, "Elizabeth."

"Her name is Elizabeth?" Lynne whispered.

"Yes," Misty nodded, "Elizabeth. Anyway, I became a mother, and I realized that…I _can't _hide my emotions. It isn't right, it makes me too distant. And being distant does not make a good mother. So, I had to learn to open myself up more. And now I'm not as uncomfortable doing it."

"I understand," Lynne breathed.

"And…I also had a dream before," Misty explained. "And Grandma was in it."

"My mother?" Lynne tilted her head. Misty nodded, lowering her eyes to her hands. "Do you remember it?"

"Yes, very clearly," Misty nodded once more."I remember every single word she said to me. She told me that I had to forgive you two, for the sake of little Elizabeth. And I knew she was right. The lives of my children are far more important than my own, and I have to make sure that all of their relationships and connections are intact."

"That does seem like something she would've said," Lynne smiled softly.

"Misty," Michael cleared his throat. Misty looked around her mother to see her father, while Lynne turned her head to look at her husband. "I feel badly that we've had to miss so much of your life, especially your childhood. I simply can't help it that my job interferes with such things."

"Michael!" Lynne hissed, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. She had _just _managed to fix things with her daughter; was her husband really going to butt in and ruin it all?

"Now Lynne, I'm not trying to rile the girl up," Michael reassured his wife. "I just want her to know that, sometimes, things happen that we can't control."

"Not for nothing, this _is_ something you could control," Misty broke in, her eyebrow twitching. "You're hardly working anymore, Dad. You just jump at the chance to do something when they offer it to you because you hate sitting around."

"That's not true, Misty," Michael sighed. "You know that I take my job very seriously. I felt safe leaving you and your sisters with your Grandmother because I knew the 4 of you were good, well behaved girls, and that your Grandmother was a very responsible woman."

"Then why didn't you come back after Grandma died?" Misty whined.

"Because Daisy was old enough to be the gym leader and effectively watch over you, Violet, and Lily," Michael explained. "And, with Violet and Lily only being a year and 2 younger than Daisy, I thought it would be a good way to teach them all some responsibility. I could see them beginning to crack, you know, and acting too much like the stereotypical teenage girls. I knew that if I left you in their care, they'd have to grow up more quickly."

"But they never did," Misty shook her head, "which is why I ran away when I was 10."

"You didn't run away, darling," Michael waved his hand at his youngest daughter. "You simply left on your journey, something that your older sisters didn't take advantage of at that age."

"I wasn't going to leave on a journey, not ever," Misty ground her teeth together. "But I couldn't take living with them anymore! The girlishness, and the constant parties and boys, I couldn't _deal_ with it! I wanted to be a kid, to be able to further my training, and I couldn't do that when I was _raising_ my older sisters! So I ran away. It sure as hell wasn't meant to be the start of a journey…that's just how it ended up."

"Elizabeth is a different story," Michael admitted, raising his eyes back onto Misty. "We truly didn't know, Misty. And had you talked to your mother and me about it, we probably wouldn't have gone."

"I shouldn't have had to say anything to you," Misty's eyes grew wide in shock. "That's something you should've realized on your own, Dad! You're an adult!"

"I didn't think the baby would come so early," Michael calmly defended himself.

"Why not? It happened last time!"

"Every pregnancy is different, dear," Michael shook his head.

Misty just kept glaring at her father, while Lynne turned her head between the two. Clearing her throat, she held onto Michael's shoulder and announced, "That's enough you two. There's no reason to be fighting over such petty matters at the moment. The most important thing to realize here is that Michael and I were wrong, and that today is not about any of us, but rather little Elizabeth."

"You're right, Mom," Misty sighed, rolling her shoulders back.

"You look a little pale, dear," Lynne murmured as she examined Misty's face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…this is the first time I've been out of bed since having Elizabeth. I'm not used to it. I'm pretty tired, I guess."

"Oh, you poor sweetheart," Lynne cooed, toying with her youngest daughter's hair. "I think it's about time you got back to your room. Ash is probably waiting for you, after all."

"Yeah," Misty nodded.

Lynne helped Misty up and brought her back down the hallway and into her room, where the three were surprised to see that Ash wasn't in the room.

"That's weird," Misty murmured as she slowly got back into bed. "I really would've thought that Ash would've waited in here for me. Maybe he went to visit everyone else in the waiting room?"

"That's possible," Lynne agreed. "Would you like your father and I to stay with you while you wait for him?"

"Uh…sure," Misty smiled sweetly at her mother. "If you want to."

The three sat around for a little while, mostly in silence with some idle chatter here and there. It didn't take long for Ash to reappear, however, and when he did, he was holding a pink bundle in his arms.

"Ash, where'd you go?" Misty tilted her head, although she couldn't help but to smile. It was impossible for her to be upset with her baby in the room.

"I went to go get Lizzie," Ash smiled down at the baby. "I visited her, in the nursery, but when she saw me, she started to cry. I guess she was kind of wondering why Daddy was just looking at her and not hugging her."

"Like Michelle used to do?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah, just like Michelle," Ash smirked.

Realization suddenly hitting her, Misty looked over towards her parents, who were simply staring at the little bundle in Ash's strong arms. They looked on in awe, their mouths opened ever so slightly as they gazed at the tiny thing.

"Mom, Dad, do you want to meet baby Lizzie?" Misty's smile grew even wider.

"Are you sure, dear?" Lynne looked up into Misty's emerald eyes.

"Of course I'm sure," Misty giggled. "She's your granddaughter! And she deserves to know you." Thinking a little more, Misty warned, "just be careful."

"Careful of what?" Lynne suddenly looked alarmed.

"Oh, it's nothing too serious," Misty shook her head. "It's just…Elizabeth seems to be incredibly shy around people. I don't know why, but she just screams and cries when people hold her. Well, everyone except for Drew."

"What do you mean everyone except Drew?" Ash raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Misty.

"I don't know," Misty shrugged. "Elizabeth was really happy when Drew held her! Don't ask me why…if _I_ was a baby, Drew is the _last_ person I'd want to be holding me."

"It's probably because he wears so much cologne that he ends up smelling like May," Ash rolled his eyes. "The guy probably transfixed my poor baby girl."

"That's a possibility," Misty nodded. "Now, give her to my Mom."

"Alright, I'm on it," Ash laughed.

Walking over to his mother in law, Ash gently handed the baby over to the older woman. Lynne skillfully accepted the child, holding her close as she gently rocked the little thing.

"Hello," Lynne murmured to the baby. "Let me see you, little girl. Let me see how beautiful you are…"

Elizabeth whimpered for a few short seconds before turning her head away from Ash in order to look up at her grandmother. Lynne examined the baby's face and gasped, before grinning sweetly. "Oh, look at how gorgeous my grandbaby is. Look at those big, green eyes! Just like her big sister, and her Mommy."

Elizabeth cooed and reached a little hand up towards her grandmother. Smiling, Lynne offered her fingers to the tiny baby. Squeaking, Elizabeth grabbed onto the older woman's index finger and squeezed it as tightly as she could.

"How cute," Lynne sighed. "She likes to get attached! I bet this makes you feel safe, hmm? Is that it, baby?"

Lynne watched as Elizabeth made some more throaty baby sounds, pursing her lips as she continued to tug at the older woman's finger.

"She likes you, Mom," Misty giggled. "How sweet!"

"I think baby Lizzie should go meet her Grandpa now," Lynne gently tickled the infant's nose. "What do you think, little girl? Do you want to meet him?"

Elizabeth simply blinked in response. Giggling, Lynne moved closer to Michael and smiled up at her husband. "Do you want to hold Elizabeth?"

"I would love to," Michael smiled very softly, holding his arms out.

Laughing airily, Lynne handed the little baby off to the older blonde man, who curiously bounced the infant up and down as he stared at her small figure. Once again, Elizabeth didn't fuss, but rather looked up at the older man in bewilderment.

"She is a cute one," Michael nodded.

"Isn't she a little darling?" Lynne smiled. "Very beautiful, if I do say so myself."

"Yes, quite beautiful," Michael agreed. "She reminds me quite a bit of Misty when she was a baby."

"See, Mist!" Ash cheered. "I told you that Elizabeth looked more like you!"

"Actually, Michael, dear, I think that baby Elizabeth doesn't look much like Misty at all," Lynne twisted her mouth. "The coloring, of course, except for the darker hair. I think I see a lot of Ash in her face."

"See?" Misty turned towards Ash and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"You really think so?" Michael inspected the baby more carefully.

"Oh, yes," Lynne nodded emphatically. "Look at that little nose! It looks just like Ash's. The mouth too. I bet when she smiles it will look just like her father's smile."

"I suppose you're right…" Michael looked studiously between Ash and Elizabeth. "Yes, I could definitely see that!"

"Oh, my poor baby," Ash sighed, burying his face in his hands. Misty, meanwhile, furrowed her brow, not quite understanding why Ash thought that their daughter looking like him was such a bad thing.

Just then, Elizabeth began to fuss and look towards Misty, her eyes wide and glittering in a familiar need. Staring into the baby's eyes for a few seconds, Misty finally realized what the infant wanted, and smiled lovingly at the tiny thing.

"Dad, if you don't mind, could I have Elizabeth?" Misty asked. "She's hungry, I can tell."

"Oh?" Michael looked back down at the baby, who was still whining and keeping her eyes locked on her mother. "Ah, of course you may. If she needs to be fed, she needs to be fed!"

Walking over to the bed, Michael gave his granddaughter back to her mother, Misty smiling down at the adorable baby the whole time. Once Elizabeth was fully back in Misty's grasp, the child squealed in delight and reached up towards her mother.

"Hello my beautiful baby," Misty greeted sweetly. "Do you need some milk? That's what you need, hmm?"

Elizabeth kept babbling and occasionally whimpering, indicating that she was in fact desperate for some sustenance.

"Come along, Michael," Lynne beckoned to her husband. "Let's leave Misty alone to tend to her daughter."

"Very well," Michael nodded, following after his wife.

"Ash, will you be staying here with Misty?" Lynne looked back at the Pokémon master.

"Uh, yeah," Ash smiled and nodded his head. "I'll keep her company. She doesn't mind feeding the baby in front of me."

Once Lynne and Michael left, Misty sighed and turned her attention back onto Ash, eyeing him suspiciously as he raised a curious eyebrow.

"What?"

"Why do you _insist _that Elizabeth doesn't look like you?" Misty questioned.

"Does it matter?"

"Well, I'm curious."

"Right, but does it matter?"

"To me it does."

Ash scoffed and looked away.

"Oh, stop being such a big baby," Misty rolled her eyes. "Tell me what's up with you."

Sighing, Ash sat down on the side of Misty's bed, looking down at his hands in a bashful, hard thinking manner. After several moments, he blew out a puff of air and raised his eyes back to Misty, who was staring at him in an incredulous manner.

"Do you remember, a long time ago, when we first went to Celadon City?" Ash began. "And I insulted the perfume…"

"And managed to piss off Erika?" Misty finished with a smirk after Ash trailed off.

"Yeah, that," Ash sulked. "And, I didn't know she was the gym leader at the time, so…to get into the gym…I kind of had to…well…"

"Dress like a girl?" Misty completed Ash's sentence once again.

"Right," Ash rolled his shoulders back. "Dress like a girl. I was a really, _really _ugly girl."

"Wait," Misty blinked, suddenly coming to realization, "_that's _the reason you refuse to believe that Elizabeth looks like you?"

"Well…yeah," Ash furrowed his brow. "Because Elizabeth is a very beautiful little girl, and when _I _as dressed like a girl…well, it wasn't pretty, Mist."

"_I_ thought you made a pretty girl," Misty murmured playfully.

"Not funny," Ash sighed, although a smile was itching on his lips.

"Well, Ash, there's a reason why you didn't look cute as a girl, and Elizabeth _does,_" Misty playfully dictated.

"Tell me," Ash crawled forward, looking Misty right in the eyes. "I want to know."

Giggling, Misty continued, "Oh Ash, it isn't that hard. You don't make a pretty girl because you're _not _a girl. You've got a boy face! A very, very boyish face, in fact. And Elizabeth…she _is _a girl! Just because she has your features doesn't make her an "ugly girl" like you were. Because, even though they're your features, they're more feminine. She's a girl, so they're not as sharp as yours. They're more gentle."

"Can you show me?" Ash asked quietly. "I don't really know what you mean by her features being more feminine."

"Come here," Misty beckoned sweetly. Ash moved even closer to Misty, settling down right next to her. The gym leader adjusted the baby so she was in between her two parents. Elizabeth whined softly, still wanting to be fed. "I know, sweetie, I know," Misty whispered, "you want to be fed. Don't worry, Mommy will take care of you in just a minute, I promise."

"I still don't see me," Ash murmured, looking over his daughter's face.

"Okay, look at her nose," Misty motioned towards the baby's nose. "It's _exactly _yours. But…hers is smaller, and not just because she's a baby," Misty glanced at Ash, knowing he would have some smart ass comment waiting for her. "I can already tell that her nose has more of a slope to it than yours. And it's not as defined, it's a lot more gentle. Her ears, though, those look exactly like yours. Though I think your tiny little ears would look absolutely adorable on either a boy," she tapped Ash on the nose causing him to chuckle, "or a girl." She nodded towards Elizabeth, who was still staring up at her parents with increased curiosity.

"You're right, Mist," Ash smirked. "You're always right."

"Of course I am," Misty puffed out her chest proudly.

"Of course you are," Ash murmured, leaning over to kiss Misty on the neck. She moaned happily and tilted her head back, enjoying all of the attention that Ash was giving her.

Unfortunately, the fawning was soon halted by an unpleasant scream from the newborn in Misty's arms, who had had enough of her parents just sitting around and not feeding her.

"Okay baby girl, okay," Misty tried to soothe the infant. "I'm sorry, really! Mommy will feed you right now, and Daddy won't interrupt anymore. I promise."

"It's always _my_ fault," Ash playfully rolled his eyes.

"You got that right, Mr. Pokémon Master," Misty winked as she settled Elizabeth in the crook of her arm.

"Hey, when you're done feeding Elizabeth, can I give her something?" Ash looked over at Misty.

"Give her something?" Misty blinked as Elizabeth got settled. "What do you mean?"

Smirking, Ash reached out and began to rub Misty's back. "I mean her first present. I got her something special, and I want to give it to her."

"Really?" Misty breathed.

"Of course I did!" Ash chuckled. "She's my baby girl. Aiden and Michelle got presents from me too. But…Aiden was my baby boy. Not my baby girl."

Misty laughed. Ash was so sweet and adorable. At times, he was unbelievably dense and quite awkward, but Misty loved him more than anything else in the world. She knew that there was no man better for her to be married to, and to have fathered her children. She certainly wouldn't have been as happy with anyone else.

"You're pretty," Ash mumbled as he rested his head on Misty's shoulder, while still running his hand up and down her back.

"How very kind of you," Misty purred.

Rubbing his cheek against Misty's warm skin, Ash peered down at his baby girl and smiled lovingly at her. She turned one eye up to her father and stared right back at him. Ash watched as one of Elizabeth's tiny hands crawled up onto Misty's chest, her little fingers bending every now and then.

"Hey there pumpkin," Ash cooed to the baby. "I bet you're excited to get your present, huh? Have you been waiting for it?"

"I think she's just been waiting for _food,_" Misty smirked at her husband. "She's a hungry little girl!"

As Elizabeth finished up, Ash jumped off the bed and walked over to the chair in the corner of the room, picking up the little pink gift bag he had left there before taking Misty out for her walk. Once Elizabeth was burped and nestled back into Misty's arms, Ash sat back down on the bed and placed the bag on his lap.

"I can't wait for Elizabeth to see her present," Ash grinned.

"Then you'd better give it to her quick," Misty smiled down at the baby in her arms. "Because I think Elizabeth is getting ready for her post meal nap."

Ash peered down and saw that Elizabeth was snuggling into Misty's body and beginning to close her eyes.

"Oh man," Ash murmured. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out the stuffed Teddiursa and held it in front of Elizabeth, beaming proudly at his offering. "Here you go, little girl! Happy birthday!"

Elizabeth's eyes opened up more and she rolled them over the poke doll. She stared into the stuffed toy's beady black eyes, transfixed by the simple object in her father's hands.

"I think she likes it," Misty whispered adoringly.

"Do you want him?" Ash asked, moving the stuffed Teddiursa closer to Elizabeth.

The dark red haired baby pursed her lips and moved her eyes up from the poke doll onto her father. She let out a tiny squeak and wiggled in Misty's arms, but otherwise remained with the same expression on her face.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Ash shrugged before laughing and holding the stuffed toy right next to Elizabeth's little body.

"Do you like him?" Misty cooed to the baby, taking the stuffed bear Pokémon into her arms so she was holding it beside her little daughter.

Elizabeth breathed out softly and freed one of her tiny hands from the pink blanket she was wrapped in. Reaching out, she grabbed onto the stuffed Teddiursa's ear and began to pull at it. Cooing, she kept on tugging at the toy's little ear, covering her mouth with it and staring up at her mother.

"You're a very silly girl," Misty giggled. "Do you think you're hurting his ear, little sweetheart?"

Elizabeth yawned wide enough that her mouth became visible behind the toy Teddiursa's ear. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth snuggled her head back into Misty's body, while still holding onto Teddiursa's ear, and falling fast asleep.

"She loves this little thing," Misty beamed up at Ash. "You made the perfect choice!"

"Good to know," Ash chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Shaking it off, he looked back down at Elizabeth and smiled gently. "She still needs a middle name, you know."

"I…think I have one that I like," Misty replied gently.

"Really?" Ash peered up at his wife. She smiled softly and nodded. "I want to hear it. Tell me!"

"Dylan," Misty recited sweetly.

"Dylan?" Ash repeated, not sounding entirely sure of the name.

"Yeah, I think it's adorable," Misty grinned. "It's cute for her, because it's a little boyish but not too masculine. Plus, it sounds a bit like Delia and Lynne combined. Don't you think?"

"Wait…" Ash breathed. "You want to include your Mom's name…?"

"And yours," Misty nodded. "I know we were thinking of making her first name sound similar to Delia, but Elizabeth was too perfect of a name for her to pass up. So, why don't we just combine our Moms' names for a middle name?"

"I like it," Ash's face suddenly lit up. "Elizabeth Dylan Ketchum. It sounds cute!"

"Doesn't it?" Misty agreed. "But, maybe…we could spell it differently…"

"What do you mean?" Ash tilted his head. "How else would we spell Dylan?"

"Well, if we're combining Delia and Lynne…and we want to make Dylan look a little girlier…" Misty mused. "What about…D-i-l-y-n-n-e?"

"Dilynne," Ash sounded it out.

"It's the same name," Misty shrugged. "Just spelt more feminine."

"I really like it that way!" Ash nodded. "Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum. Perfect!"

"You hear that baby?" Misty whispered to the sleeping child in her arms. "That's your name. Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum. You have a very beautiful name, darling."

"A beautiful girl _should _have a beautiful name," Ash smirked.

"You really love her, don't you?" Misty looked back up at Ash.

"Of course I do," Ash smiled. He leaned over and kissed Misty's cheek. "And I love you. And I love Aiden and Michelle. I love our whole family. We're perfect."

Misty looked down from Ash onto Elizabeth, giggling softly. Ash was right. Everything was wonderful now. All of the pain and torture she'd suffered from over the past few months...between Loki, and his cruel acts against her and her family, his attempts on Elizabeth's unborn life...none of it mattered anymore. He was gone, and had paid the ultimate price for his unruly actions. She could live happily now, with her husband and children, and not have to worry about a thing. It was all she had ever wanted.

"Yeah," Misty grinned, leaning her cheek against Ash's. "A perfect family."

* * *

><p><strong>And they all lived happily after ever ^^<strong>

**So, like I said, last regular chapter of the story! The epilogue is coming shortly, I've already gotten it half written. There won't be any drama, just happy family fluff! So look forward to that :)**

**Again, thank you to all of my lovely readers and reviewers! You guys rock and keep me going. I'm going to make sure the epilogue is perfect just for you guys!**


	33. Epilogue

**See, I don't lie! The epilogue was halfway finished already. All I had to do was finish up the other half and look over the spelling and grammar. Now that I'm on spring break, that was certainly easy enough :)**

**So, since my ending author's note is going to be VERY important (make sure you read it!) I'm going to go ahead and thank all of you guys up here instead! Oooh, what a change :P Like I've said for every other chapter in this story, you guys are all amazing. From all of the views, reviews, and mentions you've thrown my way, every single one of you readers are beyond incredible, and I thank you so much for that! You guys are all the reason that I love to write and I'll never stop. Your suppourt is highly appreciated, always remember that!**

**Now, without further waiting, the epilogue! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Misty stood in front of the window, staring at the outside world with a certain look of bliss on her face. The first snow of the winter was beginning to fall, and although it wasn't coming down hard yet, it was definitely sticking. The edges of the bare tree branches were now gently blanketed with snow, and the grassy lawn was dusted over in white.<p>

She had always hated winter. Not even the beautiful snow could deter Misty's dislike for the season. Misty just wasn't a cold person, and the winter meant the end of nice, light clothing, and the constant need for sweaters and heavy jackets.

Her children had softened these opinions, however. Misty couldn't bring herself to hate this beautiful time of the year; not when her children got so excited for it. They loved the thought of being able to play in the snow; building snow Pokémon and dragging her and Ash out to Cerulean Park for a long day of sledding.

The highlight of each winter was celebrating Christmas. Unlike the season it took place in, Misty never hated the holiday. It was, in fact, the only part of winter she'd ever liked. Baking cookies, wrapping presents, and listening to festive music always brought a certain joy to the Cerulean City gym leader. Her _favorite_ part of Christmas, however, was finding the perfect tree and then decorating it with meaningful ornaments, bright lights, and shimmering tinsel.

This year would be a little different. Misty was still going to decorate the tree, of course, but she had stayed behind when Ash, Aiden, and Michelle set out to find the family's tree. She had good reason to.

Smiling, Misty stepped away from the window and towards a colorful playpen that sat a short distance away from the roaring fire place. She placed her hands on the edge and leaned over, peaking into the childish enclosure. Upon setting her eyes on the pen's inhabitant, Misty's grin broadened, and she giggled quietly in a happy fashion.

Laying in the middle of the playpen was her youngest child, remaining perfectly quiet and still with her body just barely covered by a light pink blanket. Seeing her mother caused the infant to show off an expansive smile. Elizabeth just loved to be fawned over, especially by her parents. At birth, she hadn't been comfortable with anybody but her parents, but after a few weeks that changed, and Elizabeth was now happy in anybody's presence.

"Hello baby Lizzie!" Misty cooed in a baby talk voice. She reached over and lifted the child into her arms, holding the little thing close to her chest. "I never know when you're up, little girl!"

Elizabeth still didn't make a sound. She was a rather quiet and content baby, never crying much. One would think that the parents of a calm baby would be thrilled with having such a serene child, but Ash and Misty often viewed it as more of a curse than a blessing. They never knew when Elizabeth had awoken from a nap, seeing as she didn't scream at the top of her lungs to announce it in the way that Aiden and Michelle had as babies. So she would often end up laying alone in her crib for long periods of time. She didn't seem to mind, of course, but it made her parents feel rather guilty.

Misty paced around the room with her baby, walking mindlessly back and forth. This is normally what she would do to soothe an upset infant, but Elizabeth was anything but. Especially at the current moment.

And then, as if to appease her mother, Elizabeth began to babble nonsensically, letting out a few indiscernible shrieks of happiness here and there. Misty giggled in response, hugging the baby a little more tightly as she pressed kisses into the little thing's dark red hair.

"You're the sweetest girl," Misty murmured into the child's locks. "My little miracle baby."

Elizabeth looked up at Misty and uttered another noise, one that sounded almost like _"eh?" _Misty sighed and stared at the child's face, carefully studying the baby's features.

With each passing day, Elizabeth began to look more and more like her father. The shape of her eyes, her tiny ears, and the pouty little lips that could now form a lopsided smile; all of this was a perfect representation of Ash. Misty had given the girl her nose; there was no doubt about that one. Originally, Misty had thought that Elizabeth had inherited Ash's nose, and she even told him it on a daily basis. Now that she was older, that wasn't the case. Elizabeth's nose was small and scrunched up in the same fashion as Misty's. Her hair had lightened slightly since her birth, but Elizabeth's red locks were still much darker than her mother or sister's, and still very unique. The skin tone, just like her older siblings, was the ideal cross between Ash and Misty's. Elizabeth's most striking feature, however, was the _color_ of her eyes. It was the same bright emerald green of Misty and Michelle, and had a hue so deep and brilliant that they held a constant shimmer.

Elizabeth squeaked again, and Misty smiled earnestly. Reaching up with a small and chubby hand, Elizabeth pulled curiously at the corner of her mother's mouth, squealing delightfully at how she was able to move the woman's soft, pink lips. Misty didn't bother to shift the child's hand away, instead letting the girl play around. Now that she was four months old, Elizabeth was beginning to explore her surroundings and become acquainted with the world. Misty found the innocent naivety to be adorable, and she did all she could to encourage the baby.

Suddenly, Elizabeth pulled her fingers away from Misty's mouth and began to whimper. Misty blinked, confused as to why the baby had gotten so upset all of a sudden. There had been no loud noises, or anyone trying to take her away from the comforting embrace of her mother.

"Lizzie?" Misty brushed the child's hair back. "Why are you getting fussy?"

The whimpering quickly turned into full blown wails, the tiny child crying heavily. She wasn't screaming, mind you, just sobbing with great fervor. Misty clicked her tongue and began bouncing the baby up and down, hoping to soothe her. The poor thing just kept weeping, so Misty resumed her pacing, humming sweetly to the baby and pressing a hand against the back of her head.

As Elizabeth blubbered and Misty paced, the front door opened, and Aiden and Michelle came bursting in, roaring with laughter.

"Oh, you're all back!" Misty smiled down at her two older children, who were clad in their winter clothing. "Did you find a nice tree?"

"Yeah!" Aiden beamed up at his mother. "It's really tall, Mommy!"

"That's wonderful Aiden," Misty giggled at her young son's enthusiasm. "Oh, I have to help you two out of your snow things."

"Mommy, Elizabeth is crying," Michelle informed her mother as though it weren't obvious.

"I know, and I'm not sure why that is," Misty sighed. "Nothing happened that should've made her so upset. She just started crying out of nowhere!"

"It's okay Lizzie!" Michelle cheered as she jumped forward, playfully grabbing the baby's pajama covered foot. "Big sister Shelly is going to make you feel all better!"

That didn't seem to do the trick either. Elizabeth just kept on wailing, struggling slightly in her mother's arms.

"Elizabeth, what has gotten into you?" Misty theoretically asked the child. She knew there'd be no response; she just _sort of_ hoped for one.

While Misty and Michelle continued to busy themselves with the crying baby, a third figure walked into the house, shaking the snow off of his head. He was the largest member of the family, and as soon as he heard the cries of the littlest one, he gasped and jumped into action.

"My poor baby!" Ash reached out and took his little daughter from Misty. The gym leader was about to argue, especially since Ash was still wearing his snow dusted jacket, but her retort was quelled instantly as Elizabeth settled down in her father's arms.

"You…you got her to stop," Misty blinked.

Ash didn't seem to be listening, however. He was too busy pressing kisses against the side of Elizabeth's face, causing the baby who had just been crying a minute ago to laugh wildly.

"Ash, at least take your jacket off," Misty sighed as she knelt down to remove Aiden and Michelle's jackets. "You're going to freeze the poor thing."

"Okay," Ash finally spoke, his voice light and happy. He waited for Misty to be done with the twins' outerwear in order to hand off the baby girl. Once out of her father's grasp, Elizabeth started whimpering again, causing Misty to groan and roll her eyes.

"I swear, this kid just _adores_ me until _you_ show up," Misty narrowed her eyes at her husband as he stripped off his black wool coat. "Then I might as well be chopped liver."

Ash chuckled and bent over to reclaim his daughter, who relaxed once more and rested her head against his chest. "No, she always loves you, Mist! I bet she was just excited to see me since I've been gone for so long."

"Whatever you say," Misty grumbled, not quite believing Ash's response. Composing herself, Misty smiled yet again and asked, "Now, where is this wonderful tree that Aiden was telling me about?"

"Right outside," Ash motioned towards the door with his head. Bouncing Elizabeth up and down as he walked over to it, Ash pulled at the knob and called out into the early winter night, "okay Charizard! You can bring the tree inside now!"

A loud roar from outside threw Misty off guard for a short second. Moments later, a lush evergreen tree was thrown onto the floor of the family's living room, causing Aiden and Michelle to cheer and begin running around the massive green plant. All of the excitement was getting to Elizabeth as well, who squealed and held her hands out towards the tree.

"Yeah, that's a Christmas tree, pumpkin!" Ash informed the child. "Just you wait. It's going to be so pretty! We're going to decorate it with lights, and tinsel, and a whole bunch of ornaments!"

Elizabeth shrieked yet again and began squirming her little legs. Ash smiled and began stroking her soft, feathery red locks, chuckling quietly when the baby let out a big yawn and began to close her eyes.

"Baby Lizzie likes this," Ash murmured. "You can never decide if you're hyper or sleepy, huh sweetie?" Elizabeth let out a gentle breath and re-opened her eyes, making a series of noises as if to announce she was wide awake.

"Elizabeth has seemed to calm down a little," Misty noted. "Do you want me to take her back so you can put the Christmas tree up?"

"Sure thing," Ash nodded. He handed the baby off to Misty, but this time, Elizabeth didn't make a fuss. The little girl instead cooed happily, and began to excitedly wave her little arms up and down.

"Hello there pretty thing!" Misty addressed the child in a baby voice once again. "You're happy now, yeah?" Misty raised her hand and gently stroked the back of the baby's head, the sleeve of her olive green shirt being pulled down to reveal a faint scar on her wrist. Ash frowned at the faded red line, but he tried to remind himself that everything was just fine. Looking at the scar often made his heart hurt, but it never seemed to bother Misty. She always told him that the scar was just a reminder of what she had been through, and how lucky she was to have escaped with her life. Considering what could've happened to her, and the then unborn Elizabeth, Ash knew that a little scar was nothing in comparison.

All of these thoughts ran through the Pokémon master's head as he lifted up the pine tree and settled it into its base. With the dark green pine now standing at full attention in the corner of the room, the whole family was able to appreciate the plant's bare beauty.

Aiden and Michelle were quick to run up to the tall tree and examine its branches, mentally determining which ones would hold their favorite ornaments. Misty was admiring the fullness of the tree and how good it looked in their comfy family room. Elizabeth, meanwhile, quietly observed the spectacle from her mother's arms, confused as to what was going on around her.

"I bet Lizzie thinks we're all crazy," Ash chuckled, walking over to Misty. He leaned down and brushed his lips against the baby's tiny ear, blabbering random little noises to her. Elizabeth squealed in pure delight, kicking her legs and reaching one arm out for her father's messy black hair. She grabbed a fistful of the locks, yanking on them as hard as she possibly could. Elizabeth didn't have much strength, obviously, but her hair pulling still hurt Ash to some extent. Every time she tugged at the strands, Ash would wince, but not say anything out loud.

"Oh, it'll be so much fun to decorate the tree!" Misty beamed. "With all of the new ornaments we just got, it's going to look wonderful!"

"And our sweet little baby has her own ornaments!" Ash lifted Elizabeth out of Misty's arms and held her up in the air. The baby squealed delightfully and held her arms down towards Ash, grinning the entire time as if it were the greatest thing in the whole world. Chuckling, Ash lowered her and pressed a big kiss against the child's forehead before cradling her in his arms.

"Daddy, can we start putting ornaments on the tree?" Michelle called.

"Of course, princess," Ash smiled lovingly.

"I'll help you two," Misty approached the twins. "Ash, do you mind holding Elizabeth for a little while?"

"Not at all," Ash grinned. "You know I love watching after my precious baby."

Elizabeth turned her head into Ash's body and took his shirt into her mouth, drooling on the material. Ash grimaced and tried to pull his shirt out of the girl's mouth. He really didn't mind all of the messes his children made. He was used to having toys all over the house, having to clean food off of their faces, and even change their diapers. But for some reason, he preferred them to not chew on his clothes. Unfortunately for Ash, his children had always been very big on stuffing his shirts into their mouths. Like a good father, Ash never complained about it. But that certainly didn't mean he was content with it either.

"Come on pumpkin," Ash frowned. "Do you _have _to do that?"

Elizabeth kept chewing on her father's shirt, smiling up at him as she drenched the dark material in her drool.

"Just like your mother," Ash rolled his eyes and smirked as soon as he saw the little smile on his daughter's lips. "You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

In response, Elizabeth simply squealed. Getting an idea, Ash headed towards the kitchen and opened up one of the drawers, finding a pacifier of Elizabeth's. Unlike Aiden and Michelle, who had completely rejected the things as infants, Elizabeth loved pacifiers and would hardly ever reject one.

"Why don't you put this in your mouth instead, cutie?" Ash asked, holding the pink and white pacifier in front of her. Upon seeing it, Elizabeth released Ash's shirt from her mouth and increased the size of her smile. She knew what her Daddy had, and she wanted it. "Good girl," Ash beamed, sticking the object into his daughter's mouth. Elizabeth began to suck on it happily, raising her eyes back up to her father so she could continue to stare at him while she busied herself with the pacifier.

"You're easy to please, baby girl, I like it that way," Ash chuckled as he walked back into the living room.

Aiden, Michelle, and Misty were busy hanging ornaments on the branches of the tree. Upon hearing Ash's re-entrance into the room, Misty stood up to her full height and turned around, smiling angelically at her husband.

"Where did you and Lizzie go?" Misty asked.

"Into the kitchen to get a little something," Ash nodded his head towards the pacifier in Elizabeth's mouth, which Misty quickly took notice of. "Trust me, she needed it."

"Why?" Misty blinked. "I didn't hear her crying or fussing."

Ash pulled his shirt out and showed Misty the gracious wet spot that Elizabeth had left behind. Misty scanned her eyes over it and began to giggle.

"Come on, Mist," Ash playfully whined.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Misty continued to giggle behind her hand. "It's just so cute! I know you don't like it when our babies drool on you."

"It's okay," Ash made a face. "Really."

"You little liar," Misty hummed as she strolled forward. Reaching out to brush Ash's hair, she continued, "Do you want to change your shirt? I can take Elizabeth from you."

"No, it's okay," Ash smiled as he shook his head. "It's not bothering me. I don't want to tear you away from the twins!"

"If you insist," Misty leaned forward and gave him a peck on the nose before turning around and heading back over to help Aiden and Michelle.

While she wasn't looking, Ash couldn't help but to admire Misty's body. It had only been 4 months since Elizabeth's birth, so all of her curves were still very much present. Her larger chest and wider hips gave Misty a much more shapely appearance than usual. Ash loved Misty just the way she was, but these enhancements were very nice for the time being.

"Hi beautiful baby," Ash murmured, rocking Elizabeth in his arms. "You are so lovely."

Elizabeth kicked one of her feet up, brushing it against Ash's chest.

"I see your little foot," Ash chuckled. "You're showing it to me? I love your foot, pumpkin!"

Reaching up with one of her little hands, Elizabeth grabbed onto her pajama covered foot and held onto it with her tiny fingers. Once she had it secure, the small child once again locked her eyes onto her father, as if gauging his reaction.

"Wow, you're so talented!" Ash cooed. "Look at you grabbing your foot! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful baby girl!"

Elizabeth sighed contentedly and let go of her foot, putting it back down. She tilted her head to the left, still staring up at Ash and busily sucking on her pacifier. Laughing, Ash gently tickled her stomach, feeling the soft fleece of Elizabeth's white and pink snowflake pajamas as he ran his fingers over her belly. Being a ticklish little thing, Elizabeth giggled and waved her feet, happy that her Daddy was playing with her.

After a few minutes of gentle tickling and rubbing, Ash left Elizabeth alone. She turned her head and opened her mouth, causing the pacifier to fall out and go tumbling towards the floor.

"Uh oh," Ash blinked as it hit the ground.

Elizabeth, however, wasn't getting upset or even fussing over the loss of her pacifier. She just stared down curiously at it, blinking her big emerald eyes.

"Hey Mist, could you help me out?" Ash called.

"What is it?" Misty looked over her shoulder at her husband.

"Elizabeth accidentally spit her pacifier out, and now it's on the floor. Would you mind picking it up for me?"

"I'll get it!" Aiden volunteered. He ran away from the tree, quickly collecting his baby sister's pacifier and holding it up to his father. "There you go, Daddy."

"Thanks champ!" Ash grinned, taking the pink and white object from his son. "Guess I'd better wash this off before giving it back to you, huh Lizzie?"

The baby cooed quietly and rested her head against Ash's chest. Chucking softly, Ash walked back into the kitchen and over the sink, turning on the faucet to run some warm water over the pacifier. After a few seconds of rinsing, Ash stopped the water and, using one hand, dried the pacifier off with some paper towel.

"Here you go sweetheart," Ash put the pacifier back in front of Elizabeth. He was surprised, however, when she grunted and turned her head away from the soothing object. "Huh? Lizzie, it's your pacifier! You love it!"

He moved it over to where her head now was. Grumbling again, Elizabeth turned her head in the _other _direction, this time raising a hand to her mouth as if to cover it.

"You've never done this before," Ash mumbled to himself. "What's going on?"

He tried to give Elizabeth the pacifier once again, and this time Elizabeth wasn't going to stand for it. She let out a loud shriek and reached up to grab onto her father's hand, digging her little fingers into him.

"No pacifier?" Ash asked.

Elizabeth let out a little wail and squeezed Ash's hand more tightly.

"Okay, I gotcha," Ash smirked. "You don't want it." He put the pacifier down on the counter, and with the object out of her sight, Elizabeth managed to calm down for at least a little while. It didn't take long for her to start up again, however.

After Ash had gone back in the living room, and sat on the couch for a few minutes, Elizabeth began to whimper yet again. Ash blinked and looked down at the baby, wondering what she was getting so worked up about. He hadn't done anything to her.

"You doing okay down there, baby girl?" Ash addressed the infant. She scrunched her nose up and whined, kicking her legs up and down and flailing her arms in displeasure. "Man, you're not happy."

Finally, Elizabeth burst out into tears, screaming and crying so hard that her back began to arch up.

"Uh…Misty!" Ash cried nervously. He was used to crying babies, that much was true, but he'd never seen Elizabeth get _this _upset before! It was freaking him out, to be honest.

"What did you do to the poor thing?" Misty smirked.

"Misty, this isn't funny!" Ash's eyes widened. "She's having a panic attack or something! What if something's wrong with her?"

"Oh Ash, there's nothing wrong with our little pumpkin," Misty giggled. "I know exactly what she wants!"

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do, I'm her Mommy!"

"Well, I'm her Daddy, so how come I don't know what she wants?" Ash called after Misty as she skipped up the stairs.

"Daddy, you're not as good with babies as Mommy is," Michelle replied matter of factly.

"Of course I am," Ash frowned. "Babies love me!"

"Then how come Elizabeth is crying?" Michelle pointed at her baby sister.

"Because she wants something," Ash shrugged.

"But you don't _know _what she wants," Michelle smirked.

"You act too much like Mommy, you know," Ash sighed playfully.

"That's good," Michelle leaned back into the box that sat by her feet and pulled out a sea green glass ball ornament. "Mommy is very lovely."

"Very lovely, huh?" Ash chuckled. "You're a funny little girl, Shelly."

"I'm 6 years old now, Daddy," Michelle looked over her shoulder and gave her father a deathly serious look. "I'm not little."

"Noted," Ash grinned and nodded.

Elizabeth continued to hiccup and wail, causing Ash to frown. He felt so bad for his little baby girl! And no matter what he did, she wasn't being soothed in the slightest.

"Come on, sweetheart," Ash raised the baby to his chest and began patting her on the back. "You're okay! There's no reason to be upset, pumpkin. Come on, baby."

Elizabeth just kept crying, showing no signs of calming down anytime soon.

"Lizzie loves me!" Aiden beamed, running over towards Ash. Jumping on the couch, Aiden settled himself next to his father and began to rub Elizabeth's back while smiling at the infant. "Stop crying, Lizzie! You don't have to be sad!"

Elizabeth whimpered and turned her head to look at her older brother. Giggling, Aiden began to make faces at his baby sister, hoping that it would cheer her up. It didn't work completely, but it did get the little baby to stop screaming at the top of her lungs. Now, the crying fit was reduced to just whimpers and a few sobs every now and again.

Ash smiled as he watched Aiden interact with the baby. It was amazing to think that, at first, Aiden wanted nothing to do with a new baby. He was Elizabeth's biggest protector in the whole house, probably even more than Ash.

Both Aiden and Michelle were extremely involved with Elizabeth. They both always wanted to feed her, bathe her, dress her, and play with her. Ash and Misty knew that they were lucky; their two older children were so good with the baby!

Misty finally came back down the stairs, holding a cute little stuffed Pokémon in her hands. Upon further inspection, Ash quickly realized that it was the Teddiursa poke doll he had gotten for Elizabeth as her first present. There were countless stuffed Pokémon in her room, but Elizabeth didn't love any of them the way she loved her Teddiursa. The little brown bear was the first thing that Elizabeth would grab in her crib and hold onto. Oddly enough, she was also gentler with it than the others. One of Elizabeth's favorite things to do seemed to be getting a hold of her stuffed toys and seeing how hard she could toss them. She never did it with Teddiursa, however. Elizabeth would hold onto the bear for dear life, and hardly even raise it in the air. It was as if she knew that the toy was a special one.

"Mommy, can I give Teddi to her?" Aiden asked while holding his hands out. The twins had taken a shine to nicknaming the poke doll "Teddi," and somehow it had stuck throughout the entire family. None of them called it "Elizabeth's Teddiursa." Around the house, the stuffed toy was now known as "Elizabeth's Teddi."

"Of course you can!" Misty giggled. She handed the stuffed toy over to Aiden, who eagerly turned back towards Ash and offered the poke doll to his baby sister.

"Look what I have, Elizabeth!" Aiden trilled. "It's Teddi! He's what you wanted, right?"

Setting her emerald green eyes on the toy, Elizabeth's cries came to a halt as she instead began to coo quietly and carefully study the stuffed bear.

"He's dancing," Aiden commented as he shook the toy in his hands. "Watch him dance, Lizzie!"

Elizabeth did just that for a little while, but after a while she squealed softly and held a tiny hand out towards her favorite toy.

"Okay, you can have him," Aiden smiled, moving the bear closer to Elizabeth. She grabbed onto his ear, her favorite part of the toy to hold onto, and took it from Aiden, staring at the older boy as she retrieved her stuffed bear.

"That was very nice of your big brother, wasn't it?" Ash asked the baby in his arms. Elizabeth kept her eyes locked on Aiden, her pouty lips forming a little 'O' shape as she gawked at him.

"She loves you so much, Aiden," Misty smiled as she ruffled her son's hair. "She's always looking at you!"

"Well, I love Elizabeth too!" Aiden leaned forward and gave the baby a hug. "She's the cutest, best baby sister ever!"

"Daddy, will you decorate the tree with us now?" Michelle scurried over to her father and held onto his legs.

"You want me to?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Michelle smiled and nodded.

"It's okay Ash, you can go help them," Misty encouraged. Sitting down on the couch next to Ash, she reached over and took Elizabeth from him. "I'll hold onto the baby now."

"Okay," Ash grinned, giving Misty a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her now!"

"Of course," Misty giggled, raising the baby's face to her own so she could rub their noses together. "Why ever wouldn't I take care of my most wonderful, beautiful baby girl?"

Elizabeth laughed wildly. She loved it when her Mommy played these silly little games with her.

"Oh, Mommy loves you so much little sweetheart!" Misty hugged the baby against her chest, rubbing her cheek against the top of the infant's head. "You and your big brother and sister make me _so _happy! Being your Mommy makes me the happiest person in the whole wide world."

Elizabeth moved her hand so that she was now holding Teddi between her and Misty. Misty looked down at the baby, who in turn was staring up at her mother waiting for a reaction.

"Hello Teddi," Misty poked her nose against the stuffed bear. "You're keeping Lizzie company? How nice of you!"

Elizabeth cooed happily. Not only did she love it when her Mommy played with her, but she also loved to hear the sound of her mother's voice. It was so nice and comforting!

Keeping Elizabeth against her body, Misty watched as Ash, Aiden, and Michelle finished up decorating the tree by stringing lights around the full, green tree and tossing tinsel onto the furnished branches.

"Now, all that's left is the star!" Ash placed his hands on his hips and grinned as he studied the nearly complete tree. Looking down at his two older children, he inquired, "Who wants to put it up?"

"Me!" Michelle raised her hand and started jumping up and down.

"No, I want to!" Aiden pouted.

"Ash," Misty called from the couch. Ash looked over at his wife and noticed the little smirk on her face, causing him to chuckle. "Don't tease our sweet little children like that."

"Alright, I'm just messing with you guys," Ash bent down and ruffled both of his children's hair. "You know that you _both_ get to put up the star."

Giggling, Aiden and Michelle picked up the star, each child holding either side of the tree's finishing piece.

"Are you two ready?" Ash asked with a sweet smile. The twins nodded, and with a joyful laugh, Ash gathered them in his arms and held them up to the top of the tree. "Alright, put the star on!"

Reaching out, the two 6 year olds carefully placed the sparkling silver star atop the tree. Once they were sure it was secure, Ash lowered them and put the children back down on the floor.

"I think it looks really good!" Aiden beamed up at the newly perched star.

"Pretty!" Michelle chirped as she clasped her hands together.

"Yeah, you two did a really great job!" Ash complimented his children.

"What do you think, Mommy?" Michelle skipped over to her mother and climbed up onto the couch in order to sit next to the gym leader.

"I think it looks absolutely beautiful," Misty giggled. "Probably the best tree we've ever had! What do you think, Lizzie?" She gently bounced the baby in her arms. As if she knew what her mother was asking, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at the big tree in the corner. She allowed her eyes to wander over it, taking in the sparkling tinsel and shining lights. Elizabeth had no idea what that crazy thing was, but she liked it. All of the color and light…it was amazing!

The little baby cooed and reached one of her small hands out towards the tree, opening and closing her fingers as she made joyful noises.

"Elizabeth likes it too!" Aiden laughed.

"It's got a lot going on," Ash smiled. "The different colors are probably stimulating to her!"

"Stimulating?" Misty murmured amusedly. "Ash, where did _you_ get _that_ word from?"

"The baby books said it," Ash blinked, not getting that Misty was poking fun at him.

"Silly Daddy," Misty addressed Elizabeth. "Isn't he such a silly Daddy?"

Elizabeth looked back up at Misty and smiled. Giggling airily, Michelle grabbed one of Elizabeth's tiny hands and held onto it. The baby now turned her attention onto her older sister, watching carefully as her hand was toyed with.

"Mommy, Elizabeth's hands are so small," Michelle observed, running just her index finger over the top of Elizabeth's own small fingers.

"Yeah, she's just a baby," Misty nodded. "Everything about her is small! But she's going to get bigger, just like you and Aiden, and then she'll be able to run around and play and do all of that stuff." Smiling gently, Michelle looked up at her mother and batted her long eyelashes. Upon seeing this, Misty laughed and pulled Michelle in closer to her. "What is it, dear?"

"Nothing," Michelle shrugged. "I just love you, Mommy."

"Aw," Misty trilled. "I love you too, my beautiful girl!"

Resting her head against Misty's arm, Michelle's smile increased and she asked, "Mommy, when are you going to have another baby?"

"What?" Misty's eyes widened in surprise. "Another baby?"

"Uh huh," Michelle nodded. "When?"

Misty and Ash both looked at one another, trying to figure out how to respond to their daughter. They hadn't talked about anything like that. Elizabeth was still very young, of course, and with three children around, it wasn't like they'd had any time to consider that. Aiden and Michelle were certainly good with Elizabeth, and Misty loved being a mother more than anything else in the world. Ash felt the same way about being a father.

This wouldn't be the same as when Aiden and Michelle were born; there would be no promise that Elizabeth was the last child in the family. That seemed to be the silent decision that Ash and Misty had come to, when they both gave each other a playful little smile.

"We'll see, sweetheart," Misty gazed back down at Michelle. "Maybe one day."

_Yeah, _Misty thought peacefully to herself as she looked between Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. _Maybe one day._

* * *

><p><strong>So, here's where the important part of my author's note comes in! For quite a long time, I've debated giving Ash and Misty another child. I wasn't sure how it would go over with you guys, though. So, I decided, I'm gonna leave it up to you guys!<strong>

**There will be a poll on my profile, and you can also leave me feedback in a review, on wether or not Ash and Misty should have a fourth child. I've also decided that if you guys want to see them with another baby, then that story will be alot more "reader interactive." What does that mean, you're probably thinking. Well, if they have another baby, throughout the story I'll put different polls up on my profile, where you guys can vote for the gender, name, and other aspects of the story as well!**

**I want to start my next story soon (wether it be with a new baby if that's what you guys decide, or a different theme if not) so make sure to get those votes in and voice those opinons! I want to try and start writing the story while I'm still on break so I have some ample writing time, so I'll be waiting to hear back from you guys! I'm excited to know what you all think :)**

**So remember, vote, leave a review, and keep being awesome! I'll be bringing a new story your way shortly :)**


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